Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Bonds
by DarknessStorm
Summary: Frank lived a relatively ordinary life, well, as ordinary as you can get when your world is at war with monsters from another dimension. But when he finds a mysterious girl named Pyra, who claims to be a Blade known as the Aegis, he is forced to take action and fight. Will Frank and his friends succeed in saving their world and Alrest, or will they fail? OCxMythra
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**Frank lived a relatively ordinary life, well, as ordinary as you can get when your world is at war with monsters from another dimension. But when he finds a mysterious girl named Pyra, who claims to be a Blade known as the Aegis, he is forced to take action and fight. Will Frank and his friends succeed in saving their world and Alrest, or will they fail? OCxMythra**

**I do not own Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Nintendo and Monolith Software does. I only own my original characters. Set in the year 2100. Inspired by the fanfiction Xenogenisis: Closers. Warning: Mythra focused, if you do not like Mythra, or just prefer Pyra, I don't recommend reading this story. Does eventually follow Xenoblade Chronicles 2 story, but with some changes. Reviews are welcome and constructive criticism is accepted.**

'_Italics_'- Thoughts

_Italics_\- Telepathy

( ) - Side Notes

**Chapter 1- The Beginning**

A young man was laying down under the shade of a tree in a park. He had black hair and golden eyes and appeared to be seventeen years old. His outfit consisted of a black jacket with a long-sleeved blue shirt underneath, blue jeans and brown square-toed cowboy boots. He was aroused from his nap when a female voice called out to him.

"Frank! There you are!" Frank sat up and saw his sister running towards him. She had long black hair and golden eyes as well and looked around sixteen years old. Her attire was a maroon jacket, a black shirt and pants, and blue tennis shoes.

Frank casually waved at his sister as he stood up. "Hey Meg. What's up?"

Meg placed her hands on her waist and glared at him. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Did you forget about a certain meeting that's happening at you-know-where?"

Frank's eyes widened as he remembered that he and Meg were supposed to meet their friends at their usual spot. "Why didn't you call me?!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"I did, but you didn't answer," Meg replied. "C'mon, we'll be late if we don't go now!"

Frank and Meg then sprinted out of the park at high speed. As they ran, Frank reminisced on the past.

'_This is Alrest City,_' Frank thought. '_Meg and I have lived at boarding school here for seven years. Earth has been at war with monsters for seventy years now. It all started when they attacked the capitals of multiple countries simultaneously. Nothing could have prepared us for it. Hundreds of people lost their lives in the chaos that followed. All the major powers then formed an Allied Force to oppose this new threat. So far, the Allied Force hasn't gained much ground against the monsters. My sister and I used to live with our parents in Houston, Texas before it was attacked. Most of the city was destroyed, leaving many homeless. Dad then chose to join the Allied Force to protect us, and Mom joined soon after. They then sent Meg and me to Alrest City, where we could live in safety. I was told to look after Meg, which I doubt she needed, while we were here. We get messages from them every few months, assuring us that they were alive, but we stopped getting them about five years ago, leaving us wondering what happened to them._

'_We ended up attending Fonsett Academy, which had a lot of children whose parents made the same decision as ours. It was difficult adjusting to life here. Meg and I didn't know anyone, but we always looked after each other. Soon, we were able to make friends with some of the students, and life here became easier. I never forgot the horrors I witnessed during the Houston attack. I wish that there was something I could do to end all of the suffering and bring peace, but I can't._' Frank's thoughts were interrupted when he ran into a man with blonde hair. They both fell to the sidewalk from the impact. The man also had a briefcase, which had important-looking papers scattered around it.

"Are you alright, Frank?" Meg asked her brother in worry.

Frank forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry about that, sir. I wasn't looking where I was going."

The man waved his hand dismissively. "It's okay. It was partially my fault for being in a rush." He then started picking up the scattered papers.

"Let me help. It's the least I can do," Frank said as he knelt down and gathered the remaining papers before the wind caught them. Once all the papers were picked up, Frank gave them to the man.

"Thank you, young man. You have a kind heart." He looked Frank in the eye and faltered for a moment. "Your eyes, they're filled with hardship. You must have suffered a great deal."

Frank stared at the ground. "I watched my city be reduced to ruin. It's kind of hard to move on from an experience like that."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Might I ask your name?"

"It's Frank. Frank Ladair."

The man gave a light smile. "I'll remember that name. I do hope we meet again." He walked past the teenagers before stopping. "Frank, don't let the past hold you back. A little kindness goes a long way in this dark world." The man then left.

"What was that about?" Meg asked, looking confused.

Frank shrugged. "No idea." He checked his watch and panicked. "Oh no! Now we're even later than before! We have to hurry!" Frank then sprinted down the street with Meg close behind.

The siblings arrived at an old unused storage building located in the 2nd District, which served as their hideout. The hideout had a small kitchen, a game room, a tech lab, a small library, even a small basketball court and bedrooms, as well as a functional bathroom. It was a home-away-from-home. Behind the hideout was the Verdant Forest. They entered through a side door and saw their friends gathered around a table. There was three boys and one girl.

The first boy had buzz cut black hair and brown eyes. He wore a black hoodie with a winged wolf on the front, olive green pants, and black combat boots. He also wore glasses and was around seventeen years old. His name was Mika, and he was the first friend Frank made since coming to Alrest. Mika was a nice guy and joked around a lot, but he had impossibly bad luck. He was also Frank's roommate.

The next boy was named Jason. He had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a navy-blue jacket, a maroon shirt underneath, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes. Jason was the same age as the other male teens and was also Meg's boyfriend. They first met in band class at school and have been going out for a year.

The third boy was called Ethan. He had brown hair and eyes and shared Frank and Mika's love for video games. He was also a skilled engineer, though he did have a strange project that he wouldn't share with the others. He was the one who found the old storage building and suggested to use it like a base. They all had to use the money they got from the academy to make the storage usable. Surprisingly, the school officials and some of the small business owners pitched in, giving the group things like couches and electronics, with them all paying the bills as long as the teens kept their grades up and helped out around the community.

The girl had tan skin and appeared to be of Indian heritage. She had long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and brown eyes. She was around sixteen years old and was called Sonum. She was in band along with Jason and Meg and was also Meg's roommate at the school dorms, as well as her best friend.

"You guys took your time getting here," Ethan said in mock annoyance. "Any later and we would've started without you two."

"Sorry," Frank said while scratching his head sheepishly. "We got a little… held up. But we're here now." Frank took a seat next to Mika, while Meg sat down next to Jason.

"So, how are things with everyone?" Ethan asked, something they do for every meeting.

"Me and the Eagle Scouts built some picnic tables for one of the churches," Jason replied. "And we had a band UIL tournament two days ago. Meg, Sonum and I all got good scores in it."

"Frank and I tutored some of the younger students," Mika said. "What about you, Ethan?"

"I volunteered at the mechanic shop and worked on dozens of cars by changing the oil and tires."

Frank waited a few moments before speaking. "Now that that's out of the way, let's move on to other topics. There's still been no decrease in monster attacks around the globe. The Allied Force are close to being overrun. I wish there was something we could do to turn the tide."

"Sadly, I doubt six teenagers would hardly make a difference," Sonum said sadly. "Monsters are different from an average animal. Normal weapons hardly slow them down, and they tend to attack in large numbers. It's better if we leave it to the adults to come up with a solution. I heard that Omega Industries is close to a breakthrough on new weapons to use in the war."

"That's good," Ethan said. "With any luck, the war will be over soon, and we'll all be reunited with our families." Everyone nodded in agreement.

The meeting went by quickly after that. The teens talked about their social and academic lives, any problems they noticed during the weeks, and other various things. Even though they knew that not many adults would listen to any solutions they proposed, it still brought the teens' comfort to discuss them. The meeting then ended, prompting the teens to scatter around the hideout. Jason and Meg went to the small basketball court for a quick game, with Sonum tagging along, Ethan went to his tech lab and started working on whatever project he was doing, and Frank and Mika played video games in the game room.

At around six o'clock, the group chose to head back to the academy for dinner. Fonsett Academy was a large building, capable of holding hundreds of people. There were also a handful of dorm buildings where the students and teachers lived as well. Behind the dorms was a large forest called Verdant Forest, which students were forbidden from entering without an adult. The cafeteria was filled with students of different ages and races. After the group got their food, they went over to their usual table and ate silently. When they were done, they went to their dorm rooms.

When Frank and Mika entered their dorm. Mika immediately went to the bathroom to take a shower, although he did trip on a sock that wasn't there before. Luckily, Mika caught himself before he hit the floor. Frank, on the other hand, went into his room and crashed onto his bed, clothing and all.

Frank dreamed that he was in a dark room. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find an exit, or anyone.

"Frank," a voice called out. "I need your help, Frank." A girl suddenly appeared before the teen, however, the only thing he could make out about her was a green crystal on her chest and her blazing red hair.

Frank woke with a start and found himself back in the dorm. He could hear Mika snoring in his room. '_What was that about?_' Frank thought. '_Who was that girl? And why would she want my help?_'

Frank chose to exit the dorm and get some fresh air. The cool night air greeted him as he leaned on the railing that overlooked the forest. Frank looked up at the sky and gazed at the stars. It was quiet and peaceful, as always. Much to Frank's surprise, he saw a shooting star. However, before he could make a wish, the star crashed somewhere deep in the Verdant Forest; a soft boom echoing in the distance.

"What the heck?" Frank quickly ran down to the edge of the forest. He looked around and saw that no one else had heard the crash. He mentally debated on what to do. He could go to the headmaster and tell him about it, but Frank doubted that he would believe him; or Frank could investigate himself, despite it being forbidden to enter the Verdant Forest alone, especially at night. Besides, it was like something was calling to him from the forest, only he didn't know what it was.

Before he could change his mind, Frank entered the forest, running in the direction of the supposed crashed star. It was difficult for Frank to see under all the trees, but shades of moonlight managed to shine through the branches. After around ten minutes, Frank reached a clearing in the trees. In the center of the clearing was a small crater. Frank immediately approached the crater where he found a strange metal pod right in the center of it. Inside the pod was a girl with red hair, wearing futuristic-like red armor of the same color, along with a gold tiara with a green crystal and crystal earrings of the same color. There was another green crystal on her chest, but it resembled a cross. In front of the pod was a strange red sword with the same green crystal in the hilt. Frank quickly realized that she was the same girl from his dream.

Frank slid down the crater to investigate the pod. The Omega Industries logo could be clearly seen on the sides of the pod. Suddenly, Ignas came out of the forest and surrounded the crater.

"Monsters?! Here?!" Frank shouted in shock. His instincts told him to run, but he couldn't abandon the sleeping girl. Hastily, Frank grabbed the sword with both hands and readied for battle, which was difficult since the sword was heavy.

The first Igna charged at the teen with its spear raised. Frank barely managed to block it in time with his sword, before swinging it towards the Igna's side, but the Igna simply jumped out of the way. Soon the other Ignas joined in and Frank was struggling to hold them off. He was cut from various places and was unable to land a single hit on the monsters.

One of the Ignas managed to slip passed Frank and prepared to strike the girl, but before it could, the pod suddenly ignited in flames, sending the monsters into a panic. The girl, now awake, emerged from the pod and looked at Frank with her red eyes.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You're in the Verdant Forest outside of Alrest City," Frank said hastily. "Who are you? And what were those flames?"

"My name is Pyra. I'm a Blade. You're Frank, right?"

"How'd you know my name?"

"When you touched that sword. Thank you for trying to protect me."

Before Frank could respond, he saw the Ignas recover from their shock and charge at them. "Oh no! They're coming back!"

"Quick, place your hand on my chest!" Pyra said. "It's the only way to save your life!"

Frank reeled back in surprise. "A-are you sure? That sounds a little perverted." He saw the monsters were almost on them. "Oh, what the heck. I'll do it." Frank quickly placed his hand on the crystal on Pyra's chest. Suddenly the crystal began to glow with green light as it resonated with the teen. Frank's outfit then morphed into a white overcoat with green trimming, a silver metal chestplate, black pants with gold trimming, white gloves and black boots with green highlights. On his chest was a green x-shaped crystal. Coincidently, Pyra's crystal was now missing that same shape. The sword then opened, and a beam of flames came out of it. The sword also felt a lot lighter in his hands.

"Whoa. What just happened?" Frank didn't have time to wait for an answer as an Igna charged at him. Unlike last time, Frank easily knocked the Igna's weapon away with his sword and slashed across its chest, causing the Igna to dissolve into red light.

Another two Ignas tossed axes at the teen, but Pyra protected him with a defensive barrier.

"Thanks," Frank said.

"You're welcome," Pyra replied. "Now don't let up."

Frank nodded in acknowledgement before charging at the Ignas, the clash of their weapons echoed through the air. Soon, all the Ignas were killed.

"Glad that's over," Frank said before facing Pyra. "What are you? And what did you do to me?"

"I'm a Blade, a sort of weaponized artificial life form," Pyra explained. "I resonated with you to save your life and infused you with my power. I've made you my Driver. The Driver of the Aegis. What you're wearing is a sort of… Driver armor, it'll allow you to take enemy attacks much easier."

"Driver? What do you mean by 'Aegis'? Is that another word for Blade?"

Pyra shook her head. "No. Aegises are legendary Blades that are far more powerful than other Blades."

"Am I able to change out of this at will? I doubt I can wear this at school."

"You can if you focus hard enough."

"That's good to know," Frank said. Suddenly an Arachno (basically a giant spider) emerged from the woods. The Aegis Driver instinctively readied his sword with one hand. "Oh, great. How are we gonna beat this?"

Pyra then grabbed the Aegis Sword with her left hand. "We can do this together. Just follow my lead." Frank, although confused, acknowledged as a golden aura enveloped them. Pyra waited until the Arachno was in front of them before she and Frank shouted, "Burning Sword!" Together, they raised the sword skyward and a pillar of red flames burst out of the blade. They then brought the Aegis Sword down at the monster, cleaving it in two.

Frank was awestruck at what they did. "Whoa! That was awesome!" Then dozens of smaller Arachno appeared out of nowhere. "Oh, come on!? Don't these things know when to quit?!"

Frank turned towards Pyra, who seemed to be talking to herself. "He saved our lives, that's why I'm helping him. …What? You want to switch? Okay…" Suddenly Pyra was enveloped in blinding golden light. When the light died down, Pyra's hair became blonde and eyes were now golden, and her attire changed to a short white-green dress with gold and black highlights, long white gloves then went up to her shoulders, black leggings, and white and gold boots. Frank's sword then changed to a broadsword with the same color scheme and opened to reveal a blade of pure light energy.

"The sword changed? Pyra, what's going…?"

"I am not Pyra," the Blade rudely interrupted. "I am Mythra. Pyra, she's a different self that I constructed."

Frank looked at his Blade in confusion before returning his focus to all the screeching Arachno. "Uh, I'll ask later."

"Good answer," Mythra said with a small grin. "Now, if you want to survive this, do what I say!"

"O-okay," Frank said in slight fear.

Mythra held the Aegis Sword together with her Driver and raised it skyward, a golden aura surrounded them both. "Sacred Arrow!" they shouted in sync. A beam of light shot out of the Aegis Sword before raining down on the Arachnos as arrows of light, killing every single one of them.

Once again, Frank was awestruck at their power. "That was cool! We should probably get out of here before we get attacked again."

"Agreed."

Frank sheathed his sword on the back of his waist before he and Mythra hurried back to the academy. Unbeknownst to them, a camera in the pod had watched everything they did.

**Meanwhile**

In a lab at an unknown location, the blonde-haired man from before smiled as he saw Frank and Mythra together on his computer. Suddenly a man with black hair ran into the lab.

"Klaus! What did you do with the Aegis?!" the black-haired man demanded. "She and the other Blades are missing. Where are they?!"

"I'm sorry, Percy, but I released her and the other Blades because I couldn't ignore the risk of _them _discovering them," Klaus explained. "Don't worry. I've made sure to put them in good hands." Klaus looked back at his computer screen and saw that the other Blades were leaving with their Drivers.

Percy looked over Klaus's shoulder and gasped in shock. "Children?! You placed the most powerful weapons in history in the hands of children?!" Percy shouted. "Have you lost your senses?!"

Klaus remained composed and said, "A Blade's true power will only awaken when they bond with a person that fully understands them. I believe these 'children', as you put it, are the best fit for the Blades' Drivers. I've had eyes on these teenagers for weeks now. I know they can handle this."

Percy sighed in defeat. "I hope you know what you're doing, Klaus. The board won't be happy once they find out what you did."

"They won't find out, at least for a while." Klaus looked at his computer screen one last time before shutting it off.

**To be continued**


	2. Chapter 2: Drivers and Blades

**Chapter 2- Drivers and Blades**

It took nearly two hours before Frank and Mythra arrived at the academy. They stopped near one of the dorm buildings to rest from all the running they did while trying to avoid any monsters.

"I thought… you said… you knew how… to get… back," Mythra said in-between pants.

"I do!" Frank protested, who was also panting. "It's just that the Verdant Forest is easy to get lost in. All my usual paths were blocked by monsters. I don't know about you, but I didn't want to fight every monster I see while trying to get back."

"Where are we anyway?" Mythra asked while examining her surroundings.

"This is Fonsett Academy," Frank replied. "It's been my home for seven years now."

Mythra looked at her Driver curiously. "Don't you have parents? Shouldn't you be living with them instead of at a school?"

"My parents joined the Allied Force when I was ten. They sent me and my sister here to Alrest City for our own safety while they fought. I haven't seen them for seven years."

Mythra's eyes filled with sorrow and lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Frank waved his hand dismissively. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Suddenly footsteps could be heard coming from the trees. Frank quickly drew his sword as he and Mythra prepared for a fight. However, instead of a monster, what came out of the woods was none other than Meg and a young woman.

"Meg?! What are you doing here?" Frank said in surprise.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Meg was wearing a navy blue and white trench coat with red highlights, white gloves, navy blue pants and grey plate boots. Strapped to her waist were two strange navy-blue rapiers. "I had a weird dream telling me to go to Verdant Forest. I did what I was told, and then I met Brighid here." Meg gestured to the young woman next to her.

Brighid had long violet-blue hair and light purple eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless purple dress, and long gloves and high-heeled boots made of blue fire. There was a blue crystal on her chest that was shaped like a flame.

"Lady Meg, do you know this boy?" Brighid asked in a formal tone.

"Yes. This is my older brother, Frank." Meg then turned her attention to Mythra, and more importantly, Mythra's crystal. "I see I'm not the only one who has a Blade."

"No, you're not," said a new voice.

The group saw that Mika and the others had arrived with their own Blades. Mika's Blade was a girl with long black hair and red eyes. She was dressed in white clothing and had a white fox-shaped mask on the back of her head. She had a circular blue crystal on her chest. Mika himself was wearing black armor with white highlights, black and white pants, boots and black gauntlets. He was also carrying a strange white hammer.

Jason's Blade was also female. She had shoulder-length green fuzzy hair, with a miniature top hat in the shape of a lightbulb, as well as thick rounded, almost opaque glasses. She wore a purple pinstripe uniform, with flairs of colors along her right leg. She also had a frisky, waving tail that ended in a lightbulb. On her chest was a blue crystal that resembled a computer chip. Jason wore a dark blue trench coat, a black shirt underneath, navy blue pants, black boots and fingerless gloves of the same color. On his back was a large black greatsword with electric-blue edges.

Ethan's Blade was a young woman with flowing purple hair and orange eyes. She wore a black bodysuit with red highlights, with black gloves and long boots that went up to her thighs. She also had a red scarf that draped down her chest. Her body seemed to be mechanical, but it was so life-like that she could easily pass for a human. Ethan's Driver armor consisted of blue armor with red highlights and had a strange red sword strapped to the back of his waist.

Finally, Sonum's Blade was a white tiger wearing white and bronze armor and had a diamond-shaped blue crystal on his chest. Sonum's outfit was identical to Meg's, except it was yellow and beige instead of navy blue and white. Strapped to her waist were two large rings that had glowing blue blades.

During the next five minutes, the Drivers introduced their Blades to each other. Mika's was called Kasandra, Jason's was Pandoria (Pandy for short), Ethan's Blade was named Poppi, and Sonum's was called Dromarch. They soon learned that they all had similar dreams and were all called into the Verdant Forest where they had met their Blades.

Ethan checked his watch and muttered a curse under his breath. "Crap. Classes start in an hour and we spent the whole night in the woods. If anyone found out, we'd be in big trouble."

"That's not the only problem," Jason said. "What are we going to do with Pandoria and the other Blades? If they're seen, it'll create suspicion for all of us."

Mika turned towards Mythra, who was standing very close to Frank. "Well most of our Blades look identical to humans," Mika suggested. "Maybe we could get them to pass for students and hide Dromarch at the hideout."

"That sounds okay, but how would we explain them suddenly appearing?" Sonum asked.

Mika smirked mischievously as he eyed Frank and Mythra. "Well, we could say that Mythra here is Frank's girlfriend."

"What?!" Frank and Mythra shouted, their faces beet red as they looked at anything but each other. Everyone else laughed in response. It took a while for everyone to calm down.

"Th-that's a terrible idea," Frank said hastily. "Besides, Mythra has another self, called Pyra. Show them, Mythra."

Mythra acknowledged by switching to Pyra, surprising the others. Meg asked Brighid if she could do that, only for the Blade to say that she couldn't.

"Mythra…sorry Pyra… Are you able to change whenever you want?" Ethan asked.

Pyra nodded. "Our memories are shared, so it doesn't matter who is in control."

"Well that's convenient," Jason commented. "What's the difference between you and Mythra, besides the appearance change?"

"Mythra's power is a lot stronger than mine. The flame powers I have are from the excess energy created from her light powers. However, Mythra's power can be difficult to use in tight spaces, especially indoors."

"So, what you're saying is that sometimes it's better to use a lighter touch," Frank said with a smirk.

"Exactly," Pyra said. "Alhough that doesn't mean you shouldn't use Mythra's power in those types of situations. As our Driver, you should get used to using us in different situations."

"Well, we do know a good spot to practice," Mika said, gesturing to the forest.

Kasandra nodded in excitement. "Yeah. I can't wait to find out what I can do with you, Mika."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Meg said with authority. "We still need to figure out what we should do with Brighid and the others. Not to mention our weapons and outfits."

Frank held his chin with his hand. "Well, the Blades can't stay in the dorms since it'll draw too much attention, especially for the male Drivers. They could stay at the hideout. It's a fifteen-minute walk from here so distance won't be a major issue…"

"But there's also the risk of monsters attacking the school and the Blades would be too far away to help," Ethan added. "What's stopping those things from coming here and attacking everyone?"

"We might have to take that risk though," Mika said. "Kasandra, is there a way to call to you when we're at different locations?"

Kasandra thought for a few moments before answering. "Since we're in resonance, we'll be able to find each other no matter where we are. I'll also be able to sense when you're in danger and vice versa. Once I do, I'll come as fast as I can. It's the same with my fellow Blades."

"That solves that problem. But what about our Driver armor?" Sonum asked.

"My lady, you can change out of it at will," Dromarch explained in a formal tone. "It's the same when summoning your weapons." The beast Blade eyed the crystal on Frank's chest. "However, I don't know if that applies to the Core Crystal on Master Frank's chest."

"Core Crystal?" Frank looked down and saw the crystal gleaming on his chest. "Uh, Pyra, what is this?"

"In order to save you, I had to transfer half of my Core Crystal to you, Frank," Pyra said. "By doing so, I shared some of my fighting skills with you. That's how you knew the names of me and Mythra's attacks, even though we didn't tell you them."

"Is there a way I can hide it or something?"

"It'll only appear when you're in your Driver armor, so you don't need to worry."

Frank sighed in relief.

Ethan then checked his watch again. "Guys, if we want to get Poppi and the other Blades to the hideout and still be in time for class, we need to go now."

"We can't go out looking like this," Meg said. "We should switch out of our Driver armor, and then go." The other Drivers nodded in agreement.

All the Drivers closed their eyes and willed to change back into their regular clothes. Sure enough, they were surrounded in a bright light, their armor changing into their ordinary attire and their weapons disappearing. After that, the Drivers and Blades hurried to the hideout. The teens gave the Blades a quick tour of the hideout. Poppi felt right at home in Ethan's lab, looking over all his inventions. Kasandra was introduced to video games by her Driver and chose to beat all of his high scores. Brighid shared her Driver's interest in books and sat down on a recliner to read. Dromarch simply jumped on the couch and took a nap. Pyra, on the other hand, didn't know what to she could do to occupy her time.

"You guys should be safe here, but try not to draw attention to yourselves," Ethan said. "That means no going outside, unless there's an emergency."

"We'll come back at around three, after classes end for the day," Sonum added.

"There's a lot we Blades have to teach you all if you're going to be proper Drivers," Brighid said, not looking up from her book. "Like how to use Arts."

Meg looked at her Blade curiously. "What are Arts?"

Brighid simply smirked. "You'll find out soon, my lady. Trust me, you won't be disappointed when you do."

Frank checked his watch and said, "We need to go. If we hurry, we can still make it in time for breakfast."

The Drivers quickly said goodbye to the Blades before leaving the hideout. Almost immediately afterwards, Kasandra said, "I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything since… That's strange, I don't really remember when the last time I ate was."

"Now that you mention it, I am feeling hungry as well," Dromarch said.

"Um, if it's okay with everyone…I could cook something," Pyra suggested.

All eyes turned to the red-haired Blade. "You can cook?" Pandoria asked.

"So long as fire is involved. I can grill, steam and fry. But if you want something cold like ice cream, you'll need to find someone else."

After a brief laugh, the other Blades agreed on letting Pyra cook breakfast. While they ate, they debated on why they were here. Poppi was the only one who didn't eat since she said she didn't need to.

"Does anyone remember anything before meeting Frank and the others?" Pyra asked. They all shook their heads, except Poppi.

"It is curious that none of us seem to have any memories of our past," Brighid added. "It's not a pleasant feeling, to say the least."

"I agree," Pandoria said. "Where did we come from? Do we exist solely to fight monsters?"

"I'm sure there's more to it than that," Pyra reassured. "I think it was fate that we met Frank and the others. What do you think, Mythra?" Pyra then changed to her other self.

"I guess so. He may not look like much, but Frank's got some real potential. As do the other Drivers."

"It's possible that monsters will be drawn to them since they are untrained," Dromarch stated. "We must stay vigilant and train them as soon as possible."

"Agreed," Mythra said. "Once Frank and the others return, we'll show them the full extent of our powers, and teach them how to harness them properly."

**Meanwhile**

Frank was finding it difficult to concentrate during Professor Russell's lecture on the history of the twenty-year Shadow War. No matter how hard he tried, Frank kept thinking about Pyra, Mythra and the other Blades.

'_I wonder what all Pyra and Mythra are capable of,_' Frank thought. '_Surely they don't need someone like me for their Driver. Heck, Mythra's strong enough to defeat a whole army of monsters on her own. Still…I have a strange feeling that I'm supposed to protect them. Why is that?_' Frank's thoughts were interrupted when the dismissal bell rang.

"Mr. Ladair," Professor Russell said. "I would like a word with you." Frank walked over to the professor's desk. Professor Russell waited until the other students left before speaking again. "You seem distracted today. Usually you can't get enough about learning history. Is something bothering you?"

"No, sir. I just have a lot on my mind, is all," Frank said nervously.

"It wouldn't happen to involve girls, would it?" Professor Russell said with a mischievous smirk.

"W-what?" Frank stuttered with a slight blush on his face.

Professor Russell chuckled in amusement. "You're around the age when that starts happening. So, what's her name?"

"I-it's not like that. We're just friends, that's all."

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "So there is a girl involved."

'_Crap. Nice going, Frank._' Frank took a deep breath and said, "Yes, there is a girl, but it's not in the way you think it is. I helped her when she was in trouble, but I wonder if I can even be someone she can rely on. A lot of the things she does is way beyond my level."

"Are you worried that you can't protect her?"

'_Is he a freaking mind reader or something?!_' Frank slowly nodded. "Yes. I don't know if I have the ability to keep her safe, as well as my other friends."

Professor Russell paused before answering. "The only advice I can give is for you to give it your all. Doubts can kill, you know. If you let your doubts get to you, then you'll let not only your friends down, but you as well."

Frank couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Professor. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Remember, if you need any help, I'm always here," Professor Russell said as he watched the teen leave the classroom. As soon as Frank was gone, Russell's phone started to ring, prompting him to answer it.

"Well?" a voice said from the other line.

"Mission successful, Klaus," Russell said, an Omega Industries badge could be seen under his coat. "You were right about Frank doubting his ability to help the Aegis. I made sure to give him the right push."

"Well done," Klaus said. "What about the other five? How are they handling it?"

"From what I observed, only Meg and Jason appeared to be unshaken at becoming Drivers. Ethan kept muttering to himself, most likely on the possibilities he could do with his Blade now that it's complete. Mika, as usual, kept getting into unlucky situations. Are you sure it was a good idea to give him a Blade that indirectly causes misfortune?"

"Brandon, you know as well as I that Kasandra only has half of her powers. That's what causes the misfortune. I am positive that with Mika, Kasandra will unlock her full powers and realize her true potential. Now what of the other girl, Sonum?"

"She seemed excited about having a cat-like Blade, at least from what I observed early this morning."

Klaus was silent for a moment before speaking once more. "Continue to observe and report your findings to me. Keep an especially close eye on Frank and the Aegis. When their true power awakens, their power will rival that of a god. We must make sure that they will be ready for it. They are our only hope at stopping _him_."

"Understood." Brandon then hung up.

**Later**

Frank met up with his friends after school ended for the day. Once they were all together, the Drivers headed for the hideout.

"I can't wait to find out what Kasandra and the others will teach us to become better Drivers," Mika said in excitement before he tripped on a rock, thankfully Frank caught him before he could hit the pavement.

"Careful, Mika," Ethan said with a chuckle. "It wouldn't due if you let yourself get bested by a tiny pebble."

It didn't take long to reach the hideout. The Drivers and Blades then went out into the forest, so they could practice without being seen. The Drivers were also in their armor and had their weapons.

"If you're going to be our Drivers, you'll need to learn how to use Arts," Brighid said.

"You mentioned that before," Meg replied. "What are Arts?"

"As you know, we Blades lend you our power that you channel into your weapons. Our power comes from drawing the elemental ether energy in the atmosphere," Dromarch explained. "Arts are when you use that power to unleash devastating attacks. But you must be careful because there is a limit to the power we can transfer. Each Blade weapon has a maximum of four Arts which you can use at your own discretion."

"Also, Blades tend to have different roles," Mythra took over. "Me and Pandoria specialize in attacking, Brighid and Kasandra focus on tanking, and Dromarch is a healer. Poppi, on the other hand, can change between attacking and tanking. These specific roles affect what Arts you have access to. Brighid's Arts, for example, focus on keeping the enemies' attention while Dromarch's Arts can heal injuries. Also, a Driver and Blade are one in body and soul; neither of the two are at full power without the other. That means it's important to never be separated from your Blade for long periods of time. Finally, each Blade has their own unique attacks that they use together with their Driver in battle."

The Drivers looked confused, less so for Frank, as he had performed such attacks with Mythra and Pyra last night, so the Blades decided that it was better to show them. The Blades spent the next two hours coaching their Drivers through how to use Arts. After the Drivers had mastered their Arts and learned how to properly use their Blades' powers, they decided to practice against each other. The first two to spar would be Frank and Mythra against Meg and Brighid.

"Don't hold back just because we're siblings!" Frank said with a confident smirk.

Meg smirked back. "When do I ever hold back?"

Both Drivers then got into fighting stances as they drew their weapons. There was a brief silence before Meg slammed her right rapier on the ground. Shockingly, the blade extended into a whip and sent a stream of blue flames towards Frank, but the flames were blocked by Mythra's defense barrier.

"Didn't expect that," Frank said as Meg's right newly revealed whipsword returned to its blade form. "Do we have something like that?" He then dodged a barrage of Meg's flame attacks, before she charged at her brother.

The Aegis smirked. "We've got something even better." Mythra then unleashed a burst of golden light that only Frank saw. Suddenly time seemed to stop as ghostly images of Meg were charging at the male Driver.

"What is this?" Frank asked in confusion.

"It's called Foresight," Mythra explained, retaining her smirk. "It's a prediction of what will happen in the immediate future. Read your opponent's movements to find an opening, then counter."

"Got it," Frank said as he saw that Meg would perform two diagonal slashes towards his chest with her whipswords. Time then unfroze as Frank spun away from Meg's attack and countered with a horizontal slash across her side, pushing the female Driver back. Everyone, minus Frank and Mythra, was shocked.

"He perfectly countered Meg's attack!?" Ethan exclaimed. "How did he do that?"

"I don't know. Be careful, Meg!" Jason yelled.

This time Frank charged at Meg, weapon raised. Sparks danced as the two clashed.

"Just out of curiosity," Meg said as she parried her brother's attacks with her whipswords but was unable to land a blow herself. "Just how are you countering my attacks so perfectly? Brighid boosts my agility so I can move fast enough to block and evade yours, so what's your excuse?"

Not seeing the need to keep it a secret, Frank said, "Mythra has an ability called Foresight. It allows me to predict every attack you make before you do it."

Meg surprisingly cracked a grin. "Cheater. But I'm not giving up."

The two Drivers then backed away from each other. Suddenly Meg swung her swords, sending the flaming whip-blades towards her opponent. Frank easily rolled out of the way, but then Meg changed tactics and swung her right sword downward and managed to strike her brother's right wrist, leaving a small blue flame behind before it quickly dissipated.

"Gah!" Frank exclaimed in pain as he held his injured wrist, unaware that Mythra was doing the same with hers, which was also injured, but the observing Drivers and Blades did.

Meg then began an all-out assault, putting Frank on the defensive as he struggled to block his sister's attacks. "Azure Striker, Form the Second: Radiance!" Meg shouted as she struck her whips against the ground, sending a blast of blue flames towards her brother, but Frank managed to jump out of the way in time before returning to Mythra.

"Damn. Meg's really strong," Frank said to his Blade. "Even though I can see what she'll do, it's still hard to counter her. How are we going to win?"

"You have to focus, Frank, or I can't transfer my power to you," Mythra replied. "Remember what I taught you. If Meg can use Arts, you can too."

Flashing back to Mythra and Pyra's lessons, Frank closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began tapping into the ether in the atmosphere. He then opened his eyes and charged at his opponent with a renewed determination. "Rolling Smash!" Frank shouted as he slammed his sword on the ground sending a wave of light that struck the dual-wielding Driver, who was protected by her Blade's defense barrier, knocking them both back.

"Are you alright, Meg?" Brighid asked in concern.

"Yes. You weren't lying when you said that Mythra's power is stronger than yours."

Brighid nodded in agreement. "Mythra and Pyra are the Aegis. My flames may be stronger than Pyra's, but Mythra's light is a different story."

"We'll have to use _that_ move if we hope to win," Meg said. "Are you with me, Brighid?"

The Fire Blade nodded. "Of course."

The duo stood shoulder to shoulder, with Meg giving Brighid her left whipsword, a golden aura surrounding them. They raised their swords as blue flames encased the blades, before extending the whips. "Soulfire!" Meg and Brighid cried out as they swung their whipswords at Frank and Mythra, sending a wave of blue flames their way.

Suddenly time slowed down for the male Driver and the Aegis as Foresight activated once more. "Frank! After this Foresight, I'll switch to Pyra, then we'll attack!" Mythra exclaimed.

"Got it!" Frank replied. Time then returned to its normal speed as Frank and Mythra avoided the Blade Attack. The Soulfire attack then created an explosion of blue flames behind the duo, but the distance was too great to cause them any harm.

"No way! They dodged it!?" Meg exclaimed in shock as the gold aura faded around her and Brighid. Everyone else was shocked as well.

"Now it's our turn," Frank said as Mythra changed to Pyra, a gold aura surrounding them. Together, they raised the Aegis Sword skyward, a pillar of red flames then shot out of the blade. "Burning Sword!" Frank and Pyra shouted as they brought the Aegis Sword down towards Meg, but instead of hitting the female Driver, Frank instead struck the ground next to her, creating a shockwave that forced everyone to look away. When the dust cleared, Frank sheathed his sword, surprising everyone, except Pyra. Their gold auras also faded.

"What are you doing, Frank?" Sonum questioned.

"Let's call this a draw," the Aegis Driver explained. "We've both shown that we understand the power of our Blades. The others should get a chance to show it too." Frank and Pyra then went over to the other Drivers and Blades.

Meg, clearly dissatisfied at the outcome of the fight, reluctantly sheathed her whipswords. Sensing her distress, Brighid asked, "What is it, Meg?"

"It's Frank. He threw the duel," Meg said. "Frank could've struck me with that blow and won, but he averted his aim. Not to mention that he was using Pyra's attack instead of Mythra's, the latter of which being the stronger of the two. Why did he do that?"

"Perhaps Frank thought it best not to unleash his full power rather than claim victory," Brighid theorized. "Whatever the case, I'm sure he has his reasons for choosing not to win. Besides, it's not like we were going all out either, so who are we to judge?"

Meg cracked a smile. "You have a point. Thanks, Brighid. Let's promise to get stronger together so that next time, we'll beat Frank and Mythra."

Brighid returned the gesture. "As you wish."

The next duel was between Jason and Mika with their Blades. Jason and Pandoria showed off their power over lightning while Mika and Kasandra demonstrated their power over darkness. Mika's hammer had the ability to morph into a shield, which he used to block Jason's Arts. In the end however, Mika tripped on a rock as he dodged Jason's lightning attacks, giving Jason the opening that he needed to unleash an Art to win the fight.

"I guess luck wasn't on our side," Kasandra said as she helped her Driver to his feet.

"Yeah, but we'll get them next time," Mika added, not once looking depressed.

Frank looked at his fellow Drivers with pride. "Now it's time for Ethan and Sonum's duel. I can't wait to see what they can do."

Suddenly a large robot landed right in front of the Drivers and Blades. It somewhat resembled a human, only it was ten times as big. The robot was black, had glowing red eyes, mechanical red wings and a golden halo floating above it. It had blasters on its wrists and its wings and wielded two lances with double blades. It also had a green Aegis Crystal on its chest. Frank noticed the fear in Pyra's eyes when she saw the robot.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Ethan exclaimed as he reached for his saber. The other Drivers drew their weapons as well.

"AEGIS LOCATED. PROCEEDING TO RETRIEVE," the robot said as it marched towards Frank and Pyra.

Frank gritted his teeth in anger. "I don't know what you are, but I'm not letting you lay a finger on Pyra!" Frank let out a battle cry as he rushed at the robot.

"Wait, Frank! Stop!" Pyra warned, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Frank struck his sword against the robot's left leg, but was surprised that it simply bounced of it, barely leaving a scratch. "What?" The robot then looked down at the Driver before it lunged its right lance at him. Frank quickly back flipped out of the way, but the robot quickly followed with an energy blast from its wrist, hitting Frank right in the chest. The force of the impact also pushed the Driver back several feet.

"Gah!" Frank and Pyra both exclaimed in pain.

"Frank! Pyra!" Mika shouted in worry before facing the robot, who was still approaching the duo. "You're gonna pay for that. Vasjra Blow!" Mika slammed his hammer into the ground, sending a shockwave of black energy towards the robot, hitting its mark.

"Great job, Mika. Show that thing whose boss," Kasandra praised as her Driver smiled confidently.

Unfortunately, the robot was largely unfazed from the attack, only being pushed back slightly.

Mika stared at it, wide-eyed. "No way. How?" The robot proceeded to fire a barrage of energy blasts at the Driver. Mika quickly morphed his hammer into a shield, while Kasandra enforced it using her defense barrier, but the barrier instantly shattered when the blasts made contact, and the duo were blown away.

"ALL WHO INTERFERE WILL BE DESTROYED!" the robot proclaimed.

"Not gonna happen," Jason declared as he and Pandoria charged at the robot. Blue lightning encased the Driver's sword as he shouted, "Lightning Fury Slash!" Jason then jumped high into the air before striking the ground in front of the robot with his sword. A large kanji symbol briefly appeared on the ground where Jason struck before it exploded. Jason was unharmed, but the robot was knocked off its feet.

It didn't stay down for long, because soon the robot stood back up and swung its left lance at Jason, who blocked it with his sword. The impact forced the Driver to his knees as he struggled to push the lance back. He could only watch helplessly as the robot raised its right lance, preparing to finish him off.

"Dromarch! Wild Roar!" Sonum shouted. The tiger Blade responded by roaring at the robot, creating an ether shockwave of water that while it didn't harm the robot, it did succeed in getting its attention, allowing Jason to get free and pull back. Ethan and Poppi then proceeded to charge towards the robot's left flank.

"Poppi! Now!" Ethan exclaimed as he threw his saber to her.

"Roger, roger." Poppi caught the saber in one hand. "Noponic Axion!" She swung her saber against the robot's side, cutting through its armor before following it up by firing a golden energy beam from the saber, forcing the robot to the ground as it tried to protect itself with its arms.

Meg and Brighid then joined the fight as well. "Azure Striker, Form the Second: Judgement!" Meg shouted as she swung her flaming whips at the robot, leaving gashes in its armor. Meg then tossed her whipswords to Brighid, who then shouted, "Swirling Dragon!" The Fire Blade let out a stream of blue fire from her swords, striking the robot's chest. Mika and Kasandra charged together as they swung their hammer at the ground, creating a shockwave that greatly damaged the robot. However, the robot was still able to fight as it fired an energy blast at Ethan, who was knocked into Poppi from the impact. Sonum and Dromarch quickly ran to them and healed their injuries with an Art, allowing the male Driver and his Blade to return to the fight.

Frank watched in awe as his friends continued to battle the mysterious robot. "Are you just gonna stand there and watch, or are you gonna help out?" Frank turned and saw that Pyra had switched back to Mythra.

"This thing is super tough," Frank said. "It's taking all of our attacks and is still able to fight."

"So what's the plan?" Mythra asked as Jason fired a beam of electricity from his sword, badly damaging the robot's left leg.

Frank immediately got an idea. "We find a weak spot and exploit it. You ready?"

Mythra nodded before she and her Driver charged at the robot. The robot tried firing projectiles at the duo, but they managed to dodge the attacks thanks to Mythra's Foresight. "Double Spinning Edge!" Frank shouted as he spun around twice while striking the robot's damaged leg, severing it and causing the robot to fall to its knees.

As the robot struggled to pick itself up, Frank shouted, "Time to end this!" He held his sword out in his left hand, pointing the blade skyward.

"Concentrate, Frank," Mythra said as she grabbed the Aegis Sword's hilt with her right hand.

Together, they raised the Aegis Sword up and shouted in sync, "Sacred Arrow!" A beam of light shot out of the sword before raining down on the robot as arrows of light. The arrows pierced through the robot's armor, forcing it to the ground. Soon afterwards, the robot exploded, leaving behind a pile of scrap metal. Everyone was exhausted, even the Blades.

"Finally, it's over," Ethan said as they sheathed their weapons. "Is everyone alright?" There was an echo of yes's.

"What the heck was that thing?" Sonum questioned.

"I do not know, my lady," Dromarch replied. "I've never seen anything like that before."

Out of curiosity, Frank approached the destroyed robot, ignoring the others' protests. He saw something on the robot's right arm that was covered in soot. After clearing it away, he could faintly make the symbol for Omega Industries. Frank immediately told the others what he found, creating more confusion.

"Why would Omega Industries send…whatever that thing was…to attack us?" Meg questioned. "Could they be trying to take back Brighid and the others?"

Pandoria shook her head. "I don't think so. That thing was clearly only after Mythra. It didn't even mention wanting to capture the rest of us."

Jason folded his arms. "Something doesn't add up. I don't remember Omega Industries revealing that they created giant robots, although they haven't mentioned anything about Blades either. And who's to say that they were the ones who sent that thing? There must be something we're missing here."

Suddenly police sirens could be heard in the distance and were getting louder and louder. "Oh, no!" Mika said in a panic. "We need get out of here before the authorities show up. They'll want an explanation of what happened, and I don't think it is a good idea for them to find out about our Blades."

Frank nodded. "Agreed. Let's go." Everyone, except Frank and Mythra, began to flee the scene. Frank was about to join them, when he felt something strange, causing him to look in a random direction.

"What's wrong?" Mythra asked in concern.

Frank shook his head. "It's nothing. I thought someone was watching us for a second. C'mon, we need to go." Frank and Mythra hurried to join the others.

Unbeknownst to them, right in the direction Frank had looked at, Brandon Russell had witnessed everything. Beside him was a Blade that resembled a human-falcon hybrid with sunset colored feathers. Strapped to Brandon's waist were two scythes that had wings identical to the Blade's and a single blue energy spike at the bottom end of the handle.

Brandon placed a finger on his earpiece. "Klaus, it's me. We need to meet."

**To be continued**


	3. Chapter 3: Azurda

**Chapter 3- Azurda**

Three weeks have passed since the robot's attack. The whole city was on edge from the news. The authorities promised to investigate and proceeded to close off the 2nd District, making it impossible for the Drivers and their Blades to go back to the hideout without being seen. Because of that, the Drivers had no choice but to bring their Blades to Fonsett Academy. It wasn't hard to convince Principal Zane to enroll Mythra and the others as students, but it took hours to talk him into letting Dromarch stay in Meg and Sonum's dorm as a pet, though they failed to mention that the Water Blade was able to talk.

It didn't take long for the Blades to adjust to school life, though a lot of boys were immediately infatuated by Mythra, Brighid, Kasandra and Poppi at first sight. Pandoria, much to her dismay, hardly even got a glance. The Drivers also made sure that the Blades had the same classes with them. Mythra had to avoid changing into Pyra while in public, being only able to switch when she was alone with her friends.

At the moment, Frank, Mythra, Mika and Kasandra were in Professor Russell's class, learning about Titans. They were all in school uniforms, and Mythra and Kasandra's Core Crystals were hidden from sight, as well as the latter's mask.

"Who can tell me what a Titan is?" Professor Russell asked.

One student raised their hand and said, "Aren't Titans from ancient mythology?"

"That's partially correct," Professor Russell explained. "However, the Titans I'm referring to are the creatures that first appeared five hundred years during the First Shadow War. Titans are powerful beings that come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are as big as a boat while others are the size of continents. Titans originate in another dimension that is parallel to ours. It was first discovered when humans were tapping into the ether in search for eternal life, but instead created a gateway to another world called Alrest. There, they discovered the Titans, who were fighting an army of monsters alongside a different breed of mankind. These were the same monsters that invaded our world countless times.

"Having a common enemy, the people of Alrest and Earth formed an alliance. The humans were allowed to weaponize the Titans while in exchange the Titans could live on both worlds. Despite their appearance, Titans are very intelligent and can speak like us. It is because of them that we have been able to defeat the Shadow Army multiple times throughout history. However, this Shadow War is different from the others. The monsters have grown stronger than ever, and even more relentless than we've ever seen. As we speak, multiple organizations are developing new weapons to defeat the Shadow Army once and for all."

The school bell rang, dismissing the class. Frank and his friends then proceeded out of the classroom to the cafeteria. On the way there, Frank noticed a bunch of boys giving him envious looks.

"I wish people would stop staring at me," Frank said to his friends quietly.

"They're just jealous that one of the hottest girls in school hangs out with you," Mika replied. "You do know there are rumors of you and Mythra being an item, right?"

"Th-that's ridiculous!" Frank stuttered as he and Mythra blushed in embarrassment.

"D-don't even joke about that!" Mythra added before she slapped Mika in the face, knocking him into a locker.

Mythra then heard Pyra laughing in her mind. _What's so funny?_ Mythra asked her sister.

_Oh, nothing,_ Pyra answered. _Just enjoying watching you denying your feelings for a certain Driver._

_I do not have feelings for Frank!?_ Mythra shouted defiantly into her mind. _Stop making stuff up._

_You do remember that we share the same memories, right? You can't hide anything from me, _Pyra replied.

_Why did I ever construct you in the first place?!_ Mythra retorted.

_To torment you, _Pyra said smugly.

Mythra growled in frustration. She was about to respond when she felt a nudge on her shoulder. "What?!" Mythra spat as she turned and saw Frank, who looked both worried and confused.

"Sorry, you looked like you were angry about something," Frank replied. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Mythra scoffed as she folded her arms. "Just wish that sometimes I only had one personality instead of two."

"Let me guess, Pyra?" Mythra nodded in confirmation. "At least you can walk around freely. Pyra can only come out when we're alone with the others."

"Whatever," Mythra said stubbornly.

The group then arrived at the cafeteria. After they got their food, they sat down at a table with the other Drivers and Blades.

"Have you guy realized that the Winter Dance is only a few days from now?" Sonum said.

"What's the Winter Dance?" Poppi asked curiously.

"Every year near the end of winter, the academy holds a dance," Ethan explained. "It's supposed to help distract people from the war. Almost everyone in the academy attends."

"Usually guys ask girls to go with them to the dance, but there are times where the girl asks the guy," Frank added, before glancing at his sister with a smirk. "And I remember a certain someone who started that trend."

Meg chose to ignore her brother's comment and instead focused on his Blade. "Mythra, you and the others should attend too. It'll be fun."

"I'm not sure…" Mythra started to say.

"Hey, Mythra," said a new voice. The group turned and saw an eighteen-year-old boy with black hair standing behind the Aegis with a small group of guys.

Frank let out a disappointed sigh as he recognized the student. "What do you want, Jarrod?"

Jarrod glared at the Driver. "I wasn't talking to you, loser. I'm here to ask Mythra a question."

Mythra eyed Jarrod suspiciously. "And that would be?"

"I want you to come to the dance with me. I'm sure you're tired of that moron and his lousy friends by now. Someone like you should be with a real man like me." Jarrod smiled egotistically, thinking he'll get his way.

Instead, Mythra turned away and said, "Not interested."

The look on Jarrod's face was priceless. Most of his gang laughed hysterically at his expression, as well as Frank and his friends.

Jarrod quickly regained his composure. "I'm sorry, I must have misheard. I thought I heard you say that you won't go to the dance with me."

"No, you didn't. I wouldn't go with you even if you were the last guy on the planet," Mythra replied. "Besides, I already have a date."

That got Jarrod curious. "Really? Who?"

"Uh…" Mythra inwardly panicked. She quickly scanned around the table before looking at Frank, who was conveniently sitting next to her. She then grabbed his arm and said, "I'm going with Frank."

This time both Frank and Jarrod were shocked. The cafeteria echoed with laughter from both Frank's friends and Jarrod's gang.

"Seriously!?" Jarrod exclaimed. "You're going with him?! Frank's the biggest loser on the planet. He doesn't deserve to be in your presence."

"And you do?" Frank said finally, not even turning to face him.

"What did you say?" Jarrod asked angrily.

"You heard me," Frank said as he stood up and faced the bully. "What's your deal, Jarrod? You've been bullying me ever since I came to Alrest City. Calling me names, stealing my stuff, insulting my friends. It's getting old. I can't believe I was once afraid of you. You're just some spoiled kid who thinks he can do whatever he wants. It's time for you to grow up."

The cafeteria became silent as the students watched the two.

Jarrod was steaming. "Why you little punk!" he retorted. "Think you're tough when you're with your friends? Let's see you back it up!" Jarrod swung his fist towards Frank's face.

Mythra quickly activated Foresight, allowing Frank to easily catch Jarrod's fist with one hand, surprising everyone except the Drivers and Blades. Mika and Ethan were about to stand up, but Frank shot them a look telling them to stand down.

Despite almost being attacked, Frank kept a calm composure. "Really? Do you think violence is going to solve anything?" He then pushed Jarrod's fist away. "I've watched my home be reduced to rubble, witnessed my city burn, and saw countless people mercilessly killed by monsters. Compared to that, you're just a child throwing a temper tantrum. We've all lost something because of this war, but that doesn't mean we should bring each other down because of it."

Jarrod glared at him but said nothing before he turned and left, his gang following close behind. All the students applauded as Frank returned to his seat.

"Wow," Meg said in awe. "You just stood up to Jarrod and actually won. I'm impressed."

Frank gave a light smile and shrugged. "I was only telling the truth. You have no idea how long I wanted to do that. Honestly, that guy aggravates me. Just because he's from a rich family doesn't give him an excuse for being a jerk."

Mythra was lost for words. '_Frank's tougher than I gave him credit for._'

_You think?_ Pyra said teasingly.

_Shut up, you,_ Mythra retorted.

"So I'm going to the dance with you?" Frank said teasingly. "When were you planning on telling me?"

Mythra's face went beet red and scoffed. "I only said that to get Jarrod off my back. I grabbed you out of pure instinct, that's all."

Frank feigned a hurt look. "So we're not going to the dance together?"

Mythra groaned in annoyance. "Fine. We can go if you want to, but it's just as friends, okay?"

"All right. If that's what you want."

Kasandra tugged at Mika's sleeve. "Hey Mika, can I go to the dance with you?"

Mika smiled. "Sure. I was going to ask you anyway. There's no way you want to miss this."

Poppi and Ethan chose to go to the dance together as well, while Jason had already asked Meg to go with him early that day. Only Brighid, Pandoria and Sonum didn't have dates. Sonum was disappointed that Dromarch couldn't go but didn't let it sour her mood.

The school day ended early after lunch, so the girls took the opportunity to go dress shopping, while the guys, much to their displeasure, had to go and get sized for tuxedos.

"I bet Frank wishes he was fighting monsters right now," Meg said with a smug grin as she looked through dresses.

"Why is that?" Pandoria asked.

"Let's just say him and size fitting don't mix," Sonum answered with same grin.

**Meanwhile**

"Too tight!" Frank shouted as he was getting measured around his waist. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

The man measuring him sighed. "My apologies. I was only trying to get an accurate measure. How would it look if your pants suddenly fell down because they were too big?"

"That's why I wear a belt!" Frank exclaimed as the other boys' sweatdropped at his overreaction.

"And this happens every year too," Ethan said.

"I'm starting to think that guy likes tormenting Frank," Mika added.

"Should we do something?" Jason asked in concern.

"Nah," Ethan and Mika said together.

**Meanwhile**

The girls were busy going through dresses. Brighid had settled on a violet dress that greatly resembled to her Blade Armor. Pandoria chose an electric blue dress that was loose around the waist. Kasandra chose a black dress with white highlights. For Meg, she was sold on the royal blue and red dress since it looked similar to her Driver Armor while both Sonum and Poppi selected a simple black dress. The only one who was having difficulty choosing a dress was Mythra, who was being extremely picky on which dress she wanted.

"Come on Mythra," Meg said as she was handed yet another failed dress. "You need to pick something. I think that dress would've looked nice on you."

"_Nice_ isn't going to cut it," Mythra said from the other side of the dressing room. "Besides, it's too tight for my taste."

"I've got the feeling Mythra's trying to impress certain boy," Pandoria whispered to Brighid.

The Fire Blade smirked. "Don't let her hear you say that," Brighid warned. "I have a feeling Mythra can be quite dangerous when angry."

Pandoria shuddered from the thought and went silent.

Suddenly an emerald-green dress draped in gold and white highlights caught Kasandra's eye. She immediately picked it up and hurried to the room Mythra was in. "Here. Try this one."

Kasandra then handed the dress to Mythra. After a few moments, Mythra came out of the dressing room. Everyone was speechless. The dress looked to be made for Mythra, showing off her figure, yet also having a hint of subtlety. The dress was loose around the waist and flared outward below.

Mythra raised an eyebrow. "Well?" she asked.

"You look…beautiful," Meg said finally. "That dress is perfect. It totally suits you."

"You'll knock the socks off any guy who looks at you," Sonum complimented.

Satisfied, Mythra decided to keep the dress before changing back into street clothes.

_And here I thought I was the stubborn one,_ Pyra said. _That was the twentieth dress you tried on._

_Is it wrong for me to have a standard for dresses?_ Mythra asked, slightly irritated.

_Not unless you're trying to impress a certain someone,_ Pyra said teasingly, causing Mythra to blush.

The others overheard Mythra grumbling about not wanting another self as they went to pay for the dresses.

**That Night**

Frank was outside his dorm looking at the clear sky. He couldn't sleep so he decided to go outside and see if that would tire him out.

"Fancy seeing you here." Frank turned and nearly jumped when he saw Mythra standing behind him.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," Frank said. "Why are you out here anyway?"

"Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd take a walk to calm my nerves. I've had a stressful day today."

"You and me both," Frank replied. "Personally, I've never been a fan of dances. The only reason I went to them was because Meg and the others forced me to come."

Mythra lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. If you don't want to go then…"

"Oh, I want to go," Frank admitted. "I've got a feeling this may be the first dance I'll actually enjoy. To be honest, I'm kind of looking forward to it."

There was silence for a few moments before it was interrupted by a load roar that came from the Verdant Forest.

"What was that?" Frank said.

"That sound. It can't be," Mythra said in shock before she ran to the forest.

"Mythra! Wait up!" Frank exclaimed before following in pursuit.

Frank was able to catch up with Mythra as they heard the roar again, this time much closer. Soon they came into a clearing where they found an injured Titan. It resembled a dragon with light gray scales, a large horn on its head, and had green fur on the back of its neck. The Titan was covered in deep wounds, with ether leaking out of them.

Frank held his mouth with his hands in horror. "How awful. What could've done this?"

He got his answer when Lexos appeared (a large red flying serpent with fish fins) before them. The Lexos roared at the Driver and Blade in anger. Frank and Mythra immediately changed into their armor and prepared for battle. The Lexos charged at the duo, its maw wide open, but they rolled out of the way in time. Frank then quickly struck his sword against the monster's side, making a deep cut in its scales.

The Titan groaned in agony, making Frank choose to end the fight quickly. "Mythra! Finish it!" Frank shouted as he tossed his sword to her.

"With pleasure," the Aegis said before shouting, "Photon Edge!" Mythra sent a blast of light at the Lexos from her sword, stunning it in place, before unleashing a flurry of slashes at light-speed, killing the Lexos, causing it to disappear. Mythra briefly smirked in pride as she returned Frank's sword to him. "Piece of cake."

With the monster dead, the duo then turned their attention to the injured Titan, who seemed to be on its last legs. "Thank you, Frank, Mythra," the Titan said.

"You know our names?" Frank asked in surprise.

"But of course," the Titan replied. "You may not remember it, Frank, but we met before when you were very young."

Frank's mind flashbacked to the time when he was seven and he found a tiny white dragon with a blue crystal in its chest. The dragon was very weak when he found it, but Frank nursed it back to health for a week before it disappeared.

"That was you?" Frank said in realization. "You've certainly grown a lot since then. I never thought you were a Titan back then. But how do you know Mythra?"

"Because she and I fought together in first Shadow War."

Frank gasped in shock before facing his Blade, who had a guilty look on her face. "Is this true, Mythra?"

"Yes," Mythra said reluctantly. "His name is Azurda. We both fought in the first Shadow War five hundred years ago."

"Is there a reason you didn't tell me this?" Frank asked. "There's no mention of you in the history books, much less in the first Shadow War."

Mythra refused to make eye contact with her Driver. "I-I didn't know what you'd think if I did. I don't like remembering my past. It brings back a lot of pain and loss I felt back then. I-I'm sorry."

Frank was quiet for a while before he spoke again. "All right. If it's something you didn't want to share, I understand. Everyone's got things they'd rather not talk about. I just hope that you'll be able to tell me more about yourself one day."

Mythra was lost for words. She had expected Frank to yell at her, not forgive her.

"Anyway," Frank said as he faced Azurda. "What happened to you, Azurda?"

"I was attacked," Azurda explained. "I had received a message that the Aegis had awakened from her slumber and was tasked with finding her and deliver a message her from the front lines."

"The front lines?" Frank said. "Has something changed?"

"I am not sure," Azurda replied. "The only thing they managed to tell me was that _he_ has returned and that the horrors of five hundred years ago will return."

Frank remembered reading that during the first Shadow War, three continental Titans fell in battle and Earth was nearly in ruin.

"No," Mythra said in disbelief. "It can't be."

"The Shadow Army intercepted me at every turn," Azurda continued. "They tried desperately to make sure I couldn't deliver the message. I am glad to see…that I succeeded." Azurda's body began to glow blue.

Realizing that the Titan was near death, Frank shouted, "Azurda, no!"

"Do not cry, Frank," Azurda said. "I am sure…we will meet again…when the flow of ether wills it." The Titan then closed his eyes as his body dissolved into blue light.

"No." Frank fell to his knees as tears leaked from his eyes.

"I told you not to cry, didn't I Frank?" said a voice. "Open your eyes."

Frank, though initially confused, did what he was told and found Azurda standing in front of him as a tiny white dragon.

"What?!" Frank and Mythra both exclaimed in shock, the former of which standing back up.

"You see, by maximizing cellular regeneration to retain all bodily function, I seemed to have returned to a larval stage," Azurda explained. "The same thing happened before ten years ago when you and I first met, Frank. I'm just fortunate that I could do it again."

"So Titans can regenerate," the Aegis Driver replied. "Sounds pretty handy."

"This isn't something any old Titan can do," Azurda said. "Only one as advanced as myself can pull it off."

"Whatever," Mythra said. "So when will you be back to your normal self?"

"Let's see… No more than three hundred years, that is unless I find an ether star, which would restore me to my proper form instantly."

"And where would we find one of those?" Frank asked, afraid of the answer.

"Oh, ether stars appear only once every twenty years, and their last appearance was about five years ago, which was how I returned to my old form the first time."

"Figured as much," Frank said. "So it looks like you won't be back to your old self anytime soon."

"So it seems. By the way, Frank," Azurda said. "Is that a Core Crystal I see on your chest? And how did you come to meet Mythra?"

"It's a long story, but we should get out of here before we get attacked again," Frank replied. "A lot of monsters prowl around here, especially at night." Frank then proceeded pick Azurda up.

"Well, this certainly brings back memories," the Titan said before they hurried back to the academy. They then went into Frank's bedroom in his dorm where Frank and Mythra explained the events of the past three weeks to the Titan.

"I see. So you are Mythra's new Driver," Azurda said after the duo finished. "And it seems your friends are Drivers too. From what you told me about that robot you fought, it was most likely an Artifice. Artifices were used by the Shadow Army five hundred years during the first Shadow War. However, I haven't heard of an Artifice appearing in all these years after the first war. This is troubling news."

"Azurda, is it possible that Omega Industries found some of the Artifices that fell and repaired them to use in the current war?" Frank asked.

"It's possible all right," the Titan replied. "After all, it was humans who built them. They were meant to be used against the Shadow Army during the first war, but they were taken over by a powerful being who turned them against their creators."

"Who?" Frank asked.

"That's a story for another time," Azurda said, before yawning. "I think it's time for all of us to get some sleep. We'll continue this discussion at another time."

Sadly, Frank had to agree with the Titan as he was barely able to keep his eyes open. Azurda decided to stay with Frank, while Mythra chose to return to her dorm.

"Hey Mythra," Frank said as they stood outside his dorm. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Mythra replied.

"Your old Driver, what was their name?"

Mythra didn't answer for a few long moments. "Addam," she said finally. "His name was Addam." Mythra then walked back to her dorm while Frank returned to his.

**Meanwhile**

Brandon was standing on the roof of the school, his Blade right beside him. They were clearly waiting for someone.

"How much longer is he going to take?" the Blade asked.

"Patience, Roc," Brandon reassured. "He'll be here. You forget how difficult it is for him to travel here without being discovered. Ah, there he is."

As if on cue, Klaus revealed himself from the shadows. "I'm sorry for taking so long to get here. I've been investigating the Artifice program ever since your report three weeks ago, and it took longer than expected."

"What did you find out?" Brandon asked his superior.

"As you recall, the Artifice program was dissolved five hundred years ago when most of the Artifices were corrupted by Malos during the first Dimensional War," Klaus explained. "The program was then revived nearly a decade ago after we discovered the remains of the Artifices that fell during the war. The goal was to repair the Artifices re-take control of them, and for the most part, we succeeded.

"However, a few months ago in one of our dimensional facilities was attacked by a group of unknown assailants. By the time reinforcements arrived, everyone in the facility was dead, and there was no sign of who attacked them. The place had been picked clean, nothing valuable remained. Not weapons, Core Crystals, nor the division of Artifices that were hidden there."

"Do we have any way of identifying the culprits behind the attack?"

"We have reason to believe that it might be the terrorist group, Torna. They've been killing Drivers and stealing our technology for years. There's a rumor that they've been doing it to collect Core Crystals, though we have no idea why."

"This is not good," Brandon said. "It's only been a year since we discovered where Addam had sealed the Aegis away. And then we discovered those other Blades that were scattered across Alrest. You were right in releasing them to the kids before Torna found out we had them."

"Addam made it difficult for even us, his followers, from finding out where he and his friends hid their Blades, as well the other ones. However, it is clear that none of them were not intending to seal their Blades away forever. It was merely to keep them safe until they were needed again."

"Speaking of which, have you discovered where _he_ is?" Brandon asked curiously.

Klaus nodded. "I have. I can't reveal the information for fear of it falling into enemy hands, but I have finally found him, one of the most powerful warriors in history…lost history that is. Addam made sure that most records of the Aegis War were kept secret from Earth, preserving them only in Alrest."

"What are you going to do?"

"I do not know," Klaus admitted. "For now, I shall keep it to myself. I have a hunch on who the perfect Driver for him is and will tell him when he's ready."

Brandon nodded in acknowledgement, having an idea on who Klaus was referring to. "A dangerous plan, but it might just work." He looked off in the distance, as if expecting something. "You should go now while you can, Klaus. Who knows where our enemies are lurking? I will continue to keep an eye on the young Drivers and their Blades."

Klaus smiled at his friend. "Thank you, Brandon," he said. "Stay on your guard. I sense a storm coming." Klaus then disappeared, leaving the Driver and Blade alone in the cool night.

**Meanwhile**

A black ship/submarine called the Marsanes was traveling in-between dimensions. Inside the helm of the ship was a man with black hair and armor, as well as steel-gray eyes. Beside him was a lizard-human hybrid Blade named Sever. The man had a strange weapon called a sword tonfa strapped to the back of his waist.

"Malos." The man turned and saw a man with black hair who wore red glasses and blue armor. Strapped to his waist were two single-edge swords. By his side was a female Blade named Obrona.

"What is it, Akhos?" Malos asked.

"Remember three weeks ago when we lost an Artifice during a scouting mission? Well, I finally found out what happened to it. It was destroyed in battle…by the Aegis."

Malos's eyes filled with eagerness. "Do we have a location on where the fight took place?"

Akhos smiled smugly. "Even better." He revealed a group of photos that were in his hand. "Take a look at these."

Malos took the photos from Akhos and looked through them. Every photo showed Mythra, ranging from her at Fonsett Academy, hanging out with her friends, to even a photo of her and Frank outside his dorm at night.

"Akhos had been spying on the Aegis for the past couple days when he found out," Obrona explained. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but Akhos said it was better to figure out the enemies' strength before attacking them."

"So what have you learned of the Aegis and her allies?" Malos asked his fellow Driver.

"That boy in the last photo is her new Driver," Akhos replied. "I have no idea how they met, and I don't really care. They've also got a handful of friends with Blades of their own as well. I must say, they are quite skilled, for mere rookies that is, but they don't stand a chance against us."

Malos gave the photos back to Akhos. "Let me guess, you've already planned when we should attack?"

Akhos gave another smug grin as he adjusted his glasses. "You know me too well, Malos. You are correct, I know the perfect time to strike. You see, the Aegis has been attending a school called Fonsett Academy in Alrest City on Earth, and I heard that they're throwing a dance soon…"


	4. Chapter 4: The Winter Dance

**Chapter 4- The Winter Dance**

The entire academy was in a commotion. The Winter Dance was tonight. Boys hurried to find last-minute dates, while girls talked about any final preparations they needed.

Frank, Jason, Mika and Ethan were at the former's dorm trying to pass the time. They were all wearing their suits, which they received today. Fonsett Academy had a strict rule that those going to the Winter Dance with dates were forbidden from seeing each other on that day until the dance was about to start. Dromarch was laying down on the floor while Azurda was sitting on the table.

"How much longer until the dance starts?" Mika asked impatiently.

Ethan checked his watch and said, "About two hours from now."

"Two hours!?" Mika exclaimed in exasperation. "That's too long!"

Frank smirked at his friend's hastiness. "Eager to see Kasandra in a dress, aren't you?"

Mika's face went beet red in embarrassment before quickly regaining his resolve. "Maybe, but I bet you're eager to see Mythra in a dress even more."

This time Frank blushed in embarrassment and looked away. "Shut up, Mika." Everyone else laughed in response.

**Meanwhile**

The girls had finished changing into their dresses and were each doing whatever they could to pass the time. Mythra had revealed that she knew her past all along to the other Blades and offered to tell Brighid about her past if she wanted, since the two apparently had a history, but the Fire Blade kindly declined, wanting to find out her past on her own.

"Why can't we hang out with the guys while we wait?" Kasandra asked the Drivers.

"Fonsett Academy has a strict, but strange, rule about dates not seeing each other until the dance is about to happen," Meg explained. "Don't ask me why, I don't know."

Mythra, meanwhile, was talking with Pyra. _I don't think I've been this nervous ever since that party Addam took me to after the Aegis War,_ Mythra said.

_You're overthinking this,_ Pyra reassured. _This is your first dance in five hundred years, enjoy yourself._ Deciding to change the subject, Pyra added,_ Have you noticed how similar Frank is to Addam?_

Mythra was surprised by the question, but mentally nodded. _Yes, I have. They're both kind-hearted and brave… I bet they'd get along swimmingly._

After what seemed like eternity, the girls proceeded to the school cafeteria. There, they saw the boys waiting for them by the entrance. Mika eagerly led Kasandra inside, both of whom were bursting with excitement. Ethan, on the other hand, locked arms with Poppi and led her in calmly. Next to go in was Meg and Jason, followed by Brighid, Pandoria and Sonum.

After the others went inside the cafeteria, Mythra noticed that Frank was staring at her in awe. "What? Is something wrong?" the Aegis asked.

Frank shook his head to clear his mind. "No, it's just…you look beautiful in that dress."

Mythra slightly blushed before regaining a stern expression. "Thanks. Now are we going in or not?"

Frank gave his Blade a light smile as he offered an arm, which Mythra subsequently accepted, before they walked inside the cafeteria. The cafeteria was decorated with an assortment of colors. The tables were moved to the sides of the room and some had refreshments. At the back of the cafeteria was a stage where a student was playing music. Most of the students were on the dance floor dancing, while others were just standing around talking.

Frank and Mythra saw the others on the dance floor, prompting them to join in. It suddenly dawned on the Aegis that she didn't know how to dance, but it was alright since Frank didn't know how to either. They just held each other close and swayed their bodies back and forth.

"Some party, huh?" Frank said after a while.

"Uh, yeah," Mythra replied, looking almost nervous.

"Did Addam ever take you out dancing?"

Mythra locked eyes with her Driver. "Why are you asking that?"

"Just curious, is all. There are legends about him fighting in the first war, but there was no mention of you at all, or any Blades for that matter."

"That's because Addam erased all records of Blades on Earth," Mythra explained. "He was afraid that Earth would try to use Blades for their own ends, so he placed measures to make sure that only a select few would have knowledge of their existence. However, he kept the records intact in Alrest, but no one from Earth can reveal it without permission."

"He sounds like a nice guy," Frank said.

"He was. His skills on the battlefield were amazing." Mythra cracked a smirk. "However, on the dance floor, he had two left feet, kind of like you in a way." She and Frank shared a laugh.

The music changed to a fast-paced song, prompting the duo to go to a table to sit down. Mika and Kasandra looked to be having a blast dancing to the music, hardly stopping to take a rest. Jason and Meg decided to take a break and get some punch to drink. Ethan and Poppi were by the refreshments table, with the former helping himself to whatever food he got a hold of. Brighid, Pandoria, and Sonum were chatting about something, possibly about the dance or school-related.

Out of the corner of his eye, Frank saw Professor Russell by the other teachers, staring at him and Mythra before looking away. Though Professor Russell has always been kind to the Aegis Driver, ever since Frank met Mythra and Pyra, he noticed the professor has been observing him and his friends. Mythra had also claimed to have sensed an unusual ether signature from the professor, but she couldn't figure out why that was.

Frank was brought back to reality when his friends joined him and Mythra at the table.

Mika had a big grin on his face. "This has got to be the best dance ever! I'm having a blast!"

Kasandra was also smiling. "So am I. Shame we had to stop when the music machine suddenly malfunctioned during our dance. Now we have to wait for them to fix it."

"So, Frank," Ethan asked suddenly. "You having fun?"

The Aegis Driver was surprised by the question but gave a brief nod. "Uh… yeah. Of course, I am."

Ethan feigned surprise. "That's a first… you having fun at a dance. Who'd have thought we'd see the day?"

Frank rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Whatever."

Everyone else had a brief laugh before music filled the air again. This time it was another slow song.

"C'mon Mika," Kasandra said eagerly. "Let's go dance some more!"

"Okay!" Mika replied before he and Kasandra hurried back to the dance floor.

"Shall we join them?" Ethan extended a hand to Poppi.

"Gladly," the Blade said before taking Ethan's hand and returning to the dance floor.

The only ones remaining at the table were now Frank, Mythra, Meg, Jason, Brighid, Pandoria and Sonum. Frank briefly left to get drinks for him and Mythra, getting a mischievous grin from his sister when he returned.

"Okay, what's with that smile?" Frank demanded.

"Nothing," Meg said with mock innocence. "Just thinking how cute you two are together. Won't be long until you two start going out."

Frank and Mythra, who were each taking a sip from their drinks, did a spit-take and spent the next few minutes coughing, struggling to breathe.

"Don't even joke about that!" Mythra snapped after she managed to stop coughing. "It's not funny."

Meg smiled smugly. "Is for me."

Wanting to get away from Meg's teasing, Mythra dragged Frank back to the dance floor, unaware that she had fallen into the female Driver's trap.

"Too easy," Meg said in triumph.

"Nice going, Meg," Jason praised his girlfriend. "You actually got them back on the dance floor."

"It's not like its difficult messing with those two," Meg admitted. "Just mention the idea of them getting together, and they immediately get flustered. All I did was use it to my advantage."

"You'd make a terrible enemy, Meg," Brighid said. "Being able to trick others like that is a powerful skill."

Meanwhile, Mythra and Frank realized what Meg did, but chose to do nothing about it, at least for the moment.

"I swear I'll get her for this," Mythra said angrily as she and her Driver danced.

"Don't bother. I've tried for years and failed constantly," Frank warned. "Meg's just too clever."

_You got to admit, she got you good,_ Pyra added in a teasing tone.

_Sh-shut up!_ Mythra retorted. She then noticed a strange look in Frank's eyes. "What is it?"

Frank snapped out of his daze and said, "I was thinking about what Azurda told us. He said that the horrors of five hundred years ago would happen again and that someone evil had returned. Who was he referring to? I can't find anything about it in the archives."

Mythra, however, knew exactly who Azurda meant. She didn't think it was possible for him to still be alive, not after the wounds she had inflicted on him during their final battle at the end of the first war. She and Pyra had talked it over for the past couple days on whether or not to tell Frank and the others about him, and agreed that they had to, but they had chosen to wait until after the Winter Dance to tell them. But now, Mythra was tempted to tell Frank then and there.

"Um, Frank… Th-there's something I need to…" Mythra was interrupted when suddenly the ceiling caved in. Students screamed as they tried to avoid getting crushed by the falling rubble. Strange robots then descended to the ground. They all had black and grey bodies, sharp claws, and orange wings.

Professor Russell gasped in shock. "No. It can't be."

People tried running to the door, but the robots blocked their path, leaving them trapped. Malos and Akhos then appeared with their Blades beside them. Mythra's eyes widened in fear when she saw the black-haired Driver.

"Listen up, you brats!" Malos boomed. "We're here for the Aegis! Hand her over and we may let you live! If you resist, you die!"

Akhos smiled cynically. "Personally, I hope you choose the latter. It's so fun watching weaklings try so hard to fight the inevitable, only to fail miserably."

"Failure. Failure. Failure," Obrona repeated.

Malos then spotted Mythra in the crowd. "Well, well, well. Long time no see, Mythra," the Driver said. "You're looking good even after five hundred years. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. After all, Blades don't age."

Students all voiced their confusion about Mythra and Blades.

"Mythra, do you know this guy?" Frank asked his partner. The Aegis, however, said nothing. Her eyes were filled with remorse.

Malos laughed as he folded his arms. "You mean you didn't even tell your Driver about me, Mythra. I'm hurt. Oh well. The name's Malos, second-in-command of Torna. This is my Blade, Sever."

"And I am Akhos. My Blade is called Obrona. It's wonderful to finally meet the leading lady of our little show. Now let's capture her so we can proceed to the next act."

"Agreed," Malos said before ordering the Blade Bots to attack.

Students screamed as they ran in random directions. One female student tripped on her dress and found a Blade Bot about to finish her off with its claws. She closed her eyes and braced for the attack, but it never came. Instead, she opened her eyes and saw Frank, in his Driver Armor, using his sword to block the Blade Bot's claws. Mythra was standing beside him, also in her armor. Everyone, minus the Drivers and Blades, were rendered speechless.

"Run… now!" Frank ordered. The girl immediately got back up and ran away.

Frank then forced the monster back before cleaving it in half with his sword. He then looked straight at the Tornan Drivers. "If you want to take Mythra, then you're gonna have to get passed me first."

Malos smirked as he drew his weapon. "Very well. Let's see what you're capable of, Driver of the Aegis!"

Suddenly another Blade Bot was destroyed, this time by blue flames. Meg and Brighid had switched to their armor as well, as have the other Drivers and Blades. Sonum then whistled loudly, and Dromarch broke through the door, racing to his Driver soon after.

The Drivers and Blades gathered together as Blade Bots surrounded them. Malos and Akhos then drew their weapons before joining the fight, their Blades close behind.

**To be continued**


	5. Chapter 5: Warrior's Sacrifice

**Chapter 5- Warrior's Sacrifice**

Frank was locked in combat with Malos. The Tornan Driver was very powerful, even before his Blade began transferring power to him. If it wasn't thanks to Mythra's Foresight, Frank was sure that he wouldn't last five minutes against him. Mythra supported her Driver by supplying power while also protecting him with a defense barrier whenever she could.

"Akhos was right," Malos said in-between attacks. "You do have some skill in you, boy. I'm a little impressed. But you still don't stand a chance against me."

Frank parried Malos's attack with his sword before countering with a slash across the chest, forcing the Tornan Driver back. "We'll see," Frank said before charging at his opponent.

Meg and Sonum were fighting against Akhos, who was nearly as powerful as Malos. Meg had used her Judgement Art, only for Akhos to repel it with a single swipe of his swords.

"No way. How?" Meg said in disbelief.

Akhos had a smug grin on his face. "Simple. Obrona can manipulate the ether energy in the atmosphere. You see, each Blade has an element, with yours being a Fire Blade for an example. All I did was simply counter with the opposing element, which for you is Water. Nothing can touch me."

"You sure about that?" Sonum charged at the Tornan Driver and managed to knock his swords back. "Gemini Loop!" Sonum exclaimed as she threw her twin rings at Akhos, hitting him in the chest before the rings returned to their owner.

"Radiance!" Meg shouted as she swung her flaming whipswords at the ground, sending a jet of blue fire at Akhos. Obrona managed to protect her Driver with her defense shield, but they were pushed back from the impact.

"Tsk," Akhos said as he adjusted his glasses. "How irritable." The Tornan Driver then charged at his opponents, locking swords with Meg.

Meanwhile, Jason and the others were busy battling the Blade Bots while the students ran in fear.

"Overload Thunder Beam!" Jason shouted as he fired a beam of lighting from his sword, piercing through three Blade Bots at once.

"Soaring Tempest!" Ethan exclaimed as he spun in a circle, cutting multiple Blade Bots in half. He then tossed his saber to Poppi, who struck down two other Blade Bots in single strikes before returning the saber to her Driver.

Mika, surprisingly, was holding his own, despite being surrounded by Blade Bots. One Blade Bot rushed at the Driver, its claws raised, but he blocked it with his shield hammer. He then countered by swinging his hammer at the robot's lower region, causing it to fall before smashing its head, defeating it. Another Blade Bot rapidly fired energy blasts at the Driver from its palms, but Kasandra blocked them with her defense barrier.

"Let's finish this," Mika said to his Blade. He struck multiple Blade Bots with his hammer before throwing it to Kasandra, which she subsequently caught.

"Time to make sure luck is on our side," Kasandra said as she put her mask on her face. A dark aura surrounded her as she shot a dark energy blast from her hammer at the remaining Blade Bots, destroying them. She then returned her mask to the back of her head and gave her hammer back to Mika. They then charged at another group of Blade Bots that were closing in on some students.

"Double Spinning Edge!" Frank shouted as he performed the Art but was shocked when Malos easily blocked it with his sword tonfa.

"Golden eyes," Malos commented as he eyed his opponent as they locked swords. "Takes me back to five hundred years ago."

"What do you mean?" Frank questioned.

"Like I'd tell you!" Malos's right hand began pulsing with purple energy before using it to knock Frank away. The blade of his sword tonfa then began sparking with lightning. "Thunder Slash!" Malos then struck Frank across the chest. He was surprised when both Frank and Mythra cried out in pain.

"A Driver and Blade that share each other's injuries? Interesting." Malos sneered cynically. "That means you're a mortal now, Mythra. This'll be even easier than I thought." He then threw his sword tonfa in the air.

Sever quickly jumped and caught the weapon midair. "You're done, boy," the Blade said before firing an energy blast at the Aegis Driver, but Mythra blocked it with her defense barrier. "Malos, here!" Sever then returned the sword tonfa to his Driver, who then began attacking Frank relentlessly.

Even with Foresight, Frank couldn't block all of Malos's attacks, causing him, and by extension Mythra, to get injured in various places. Eventually, Frank couldn't take anymore and fell to his knees, barely keeping himself up by using his sword for support.

"Frank!" Mythra exclaimed in worry before she fell to her knees as well.

"It's over for you!" Malos raised his weapon to finish the Driver off, when suddenly a vortex of wind appeared around Frank, forcing Malos back.

"I don't think so!" Brandon suddenly clashed his dual scythes with the Tornan Driver's sword tonfa, forcing the latter back. Brandon's outfit was identical to Frank's, only it had Roc's color scheme and it didn't have the Core Crystal. Brandon sheathed his scythes to his waist and knelt in front of the injured Driver. "Hang in there, Frank. You're still needed."

"P-Professor," Frank said weakly. "What are you…?" Frank then saw Roc checking on Mythra. His eyes widened as he realized. "You're a…"

Brandon nodded. "I am," he said before shouting, "Sonum! We need you over here! Mika, go help Meg!"

Both Drivers were initially confused getting orders from Brandon, and the knowledge of him being a Driver, but they obeyed nonetheless. Mika and Kasandra hurried to aid Meg and Brighid, who were somewhat holding their own against Akhos. Sonum rode Dromarch over to Brandon and saw that Frank and Mythra were both badly injured.

"Oh no," Sonum said in shock before steeling her resolve. "Dromarch."

"I'm on it," the Blade replied before he and his Driver began healing the injured duo with an Art. Both the Aegis and her Driver could quickly feel their strength return.

Brandon and Roc engaged Malos, keeping him away from the younger Drivers and their Blades. Brandon swung his scythes fiercely, creating a wind vortex underneath Malos's feet, but the latter back flipped away in time. Roc then flew into the air as his Driver tossed him his scythes before raining down a barrage of feather attacks, forcing Malos back.

Brandon quickly turned around and saw that both Frank and Mythra were back on their feet. Jason and Ethan and their Blades had finished off the last of the Blade Bots and rushed to the Aegis Driver. Meg, Brighid, Mika and Kasandra also fell back and rejoined their friends.

"This Akhos guy is tough," Meg said as she summoned a wall of blue flames, keeping the Tornan Drivers back as long as she and Brighid sustained it. "Thanks to his Blade, he can manipulate the ether energy around him to counter our attacks by using the opposite element."

"Well Malos isn't any easier," Frank replied. "He's unnaturally strong, even for a Driver."

"Maybe we should get to a more open area," Pandoria suggested. "All the students and teachers are gone, so there's no reason to stick around here."

"I agree," Poppi said matter-of-factly. "A strategic retreat would be the wise thing to do in this scenario."

Frank then got an idea where to go. "Meg, when I say the word, launch that fire wall at them. After that, Jason will then use his strongest Art to buy us some time to reach the stadium. Everyone else, get ready to run." The Drivers and Blades acknowledged before preparing themselves. "Now!"

Meg swung her whipswords, sending the fire wall hurling towards the Torna Drivers, though they were protected by their Blades' defense barriers.

"Lightning Fury Slash!" Jason shouted as he jumped in the before striking the ground with his sword, creating a shockwave that made a smoke cloud, hiding the group from sight.

"Let's go!" Frank exclaimed as the group ran out of the cafeteria.

"You won't escape!" Malos declared as he, Akhos and their Blades ran in hot pursuit.

"Mythra, switch to Pyra real quick!" Frank said.

"Okay." Mythra then changed to Pyra. She and Frank held his sword up as a pillar of fire came out of the blade. "Burning Sword!" they shouted in sync before bringing it down towards their pursuers, forcing the Torna Drivers and Blades back as the hallway collapsed.

"Nice thinking," Pyra commented as she and Frank hurried to rejoin their friends.

The Aegis Driver cracked a small smile. "Malos seems to know Mythra pretty well, so I thought using your powers would surprise him enough to slow him down."

"Think it worked?"

"No idea, and I'd rather not stay to find out."

The group then exited the academy and hurried to the stadium behind it. Once they were inside, they found Malos and Sever waiting for them.

"Clever move back there, kid," Malos admitted. "I never would've thought the Aegis would have created another form. It did catch me off-guard, which I bet you were hoping for."

Brandon tightened his grip on his scythes. "How'd you know we'd come here?"

"Simple." Akhos and Obrona appeared behind the group. "This is the nearest open area where you could fight freely without worrying about any pedestrians getting caught in the crossfire. Honestly, could humans be any more predictable?" He jumped over to Malos, while Obrona flew behind him. "Though, I must admit, I enjoyed my part in this hackneyed tale, but…"

Obrona rose a few feet into the sky. "Tehehehe. Time for the final act?" Obrona then sent out a red pulse wave that stretched across the field, leaving sparks of red light in the air.

Frank gritted his teeth and charged at Akhos. "You're bluffing," Frank said defiantly.

"Frank, wait!" Pyra exclaimed as she sensed something was amiss.

Akhos calmly sheathed his swords and as Frank swung his sword at him, the Tornan Driver effortlessly catching the blade with one hand.

"What?" Frank said in confusion.

"You see, Blades draw their power from atmospheric ether energy," Akhos explained. "They send their power to the crystal, where it manifests, but…what if we were to interrupt the flow?!"

Frank quickly pulled his sword free and jumped back.

"Blast," Sonum said as she sensed the energy in her weapons begin to weaken. "The power is draining out of my weapons."

"It's no good!" Dromarch exclaimed. "I can't transfer power, my lady!"

The other Blades then revealed that they couldn't transfer power either. Malos, who's Blade was unaffected, launched a beam of lightning at the Drivers and Blades, forcing them to scatter. Akhos re-drew his swords and engaged Frank. Pyra was behind her Driver, trying desperately to transfer power to him, but failed.

"Why are you after Pyra and Mythra?" Frank demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" Akhos replied. "We want the power of the Aegis for ourselves. Surely you, as its Driver, are aware that the Aegis has the power to rend the dimensions asunder, right? We'll use that power to erase humankind from existence."

Frank gritted his teeth as he struggled to block Akhos's attacks. Meg and Sonum quickly went to the Aegis Driver's aid, although Akhos easily deflected their attacks. Pyra then saw Malos charging at her and Frank from the side. She immediately raised her defense barrier to block, but Malos easily destroyed it with one attack, pushing her and Frank back.

"What? You want to wipe out all of humankind? Why?" Meg demanded as she clashed against the Torna Driver.

"Simple, humans are selfish creatures who take whatever they want, regardless of the consequences," Akhos replied. "They steal, they kill, et cetera. They simply don't deserve to exist."

Sonum gasped in surprise and froze up. Akhos took advantage of the opening and swung his swords at her. Thankfully, Brandon pulled her away and Roc got between him and Akhos, wielding one of his Driver's scythes.

"I'm guessing you haven't heard," Akhos said. "In Alrest, the Kingdom of Uraya and Empire of Mor Ardain are preparing for war, but it's not with the Shadow Army, it's with each other. Then there's the countries in this world. Some of them are plotting to invade other countries for land and resources, ignoring the monsters that threaten them both."

Frank was locked in combat with Malos, the latter of which easily overpowering the former. Jason and Ethan hurried to the Aegis Driver's aid while Mika was dealing with Sever.

"Every corner of the dimensions is defiled by such vermin," Akhos said before swinging his right sword at Meg, who parried it with her swords while Brighid enforced it with her defense barrier.

"But that's nothing new." Malos knocked Frank back with a swift kick before blocking Jason's attack with his sword tonfa. "They haven't changed in five hundred years. No wonder Father abandoned them."

Frank and Ethan charged at the Torna Driver, but he simply jumped out of range. Sever did the same when Mika tried attacking him with his hammer before returning to his Driver's side. All the teen Drivers were panting in exhaustion as fatigue was beginning to catch up with them.

Pyra then stood in front of Frank. "No," she said firmly. "The only one who hasn't changed is you, Malos! Father didn't want us to wipe out innocent life."

'_Who the heck is Pyra talking about?_' Frank thought.

"Then why did he make us then?" Malos replied. "Get real! That's what we're for. To travel across the dimensions and eliminate these pests!" Malos then surrounded himself in a dark purple aura. Frank could feel the immense power coming from it.

"Is that power coming from his Blade?" Sonum asked in shock.

Brandon shook his head. "I don't think so. It's too…"

"Playtime's over," Malos said as the dark aura faded and took on a fighting stance. "Let's end this! Akhos!"

Akhos readied his swords. "Agreed!"

Malos then charged at Frank and Pyra. Pyra immediately activated her defense barrier, but it shattered instantly when Malos struck it, sending both her and Frank flying into the bottom of the bleachers. Poppi grabbed Ethan's left arm and flew towards Malos at high speed. Ethan then swung his saber at the Tornan Driver, using their momentum, but Sever got in the way and blocked it with his arm before knocking them back. Both Poppi and Ethan collapsed to the ground and struggled to get back up.

Jason and Mika charged at Malos together, but Malos easily parried all of their attacks before sending them flying into their Blades, knocking them to the ground. Akhos swung his swords at Sonum, but Dromarch shielded her with his own body.

"Dromarch!" Sonum exclaimed in worry. She growled in anger and prepared to attack the Tornan Driver.

"Over here!" Sonum turned around and found Obrona behind her. The Blade then kicked the Driver in the side, knocking her off her feet while also sending her towards Dromarch.

"You'll pay for that!" Meg declared as she charged at Akhos, her whipswords raised. However, she couldn't land a single blow on him as he constantly blocked her attacks, but Akhos managed to slash at her chest with his swords, knocking her back before subsequently falling to her knees.

"Lady Meg!" Brighid exclaimed in worry as she knelt beside her Driver.

Frank and Pyra slowly rose to their feet. "Everyone! No!" Frank shouted before rushing at Akhos.

"Stop Frank! It's no use!" Pyra warned, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Sever, who was wielding his Driver's weapon, intercepted the Aegis Driver before striking him in the chest, sending Frank rolling back a few feet. He was laying on the ground with his sword in front of him. The Aegis Driver struggled to get back up.

"Frank!" Pyra exclaimed in worry. She tried to go to her Driver, but Malos suddenly punched her hard in the stomach. She then subsequently collapsed to the ground, the wind having been knocked out of her.

Malos chuckled in amusement. "Hitting girls isn't as much fun…"

Akhos rested his left sword on his shoulder. "Malos, you're the icon of chivalry."

"M-Malos…" Pyra struggled to say before stopping, trying desperately not to black out.

"You're not getting her!" Brandon shouted from the stadium bleachers, away from the red light. Roc was flying overhead, out of the field, wielding both scythes and fired a barrage of feather attacks at the Tornan Drivers.

"What?" Malos said in surprise as Sever tossed his weapon back to him and began cutting through the projectiles with it. "An attack from the outside?!"

"P-professor!" Frank stuttered, trying and failing to stand up. The teen Drivers felt useless as they struggled to get back into the fight.

Akhos laughed as he was also deflecting Roc's attacks. "The lunk's back," the Driver said. "But that peashooter won't help you. Even if you hit, it'll barely register."

"You idiot! You think I don't know that?!" Brandon shouted before jumping into the air and retrieving his scythes. He then landed back in the field and faced Frank. "Listen up Frank, time for me to teach you a new lesson. Something else you can do with a Blade weapon." Brandon then pierced himself in the chest with the spikes of his scythes.

"What the heck?" Frank said in disbelief.

Brandon cried out in pain as his body began pulsing with ether energy.

"What…?" Malos said. "Dastard!"

"He's channeling the ether in his body into his weapons," Akhos realized. "Is he insane?!"

Brandon stumbled but quickly caught himself. "There's nothing you can do to stop this ether flow," he declared. "Nothing at all!" Brandon charged towards the Tornan Drivers, his hands glowing with green ether energy. He swung his arms at Akhos, sending a blast of wind at the Driver.

Obrona quickly activated her defense barrier to protect her Driver, but it shattered instantly, and they were blown back. Malos charged at Brandon, lunging with his left fist, which was pulsing in dark energy. Brandon met that punch with his own before pushing Malos back. Sever rushed at the Driver, but Roc intercepted him by pushing the Blade to the ground.

Sonum, Meg and their Blades finally stood back up and watched Brandon fight Malos alone. Meg started to run to his aid, but stopped, unsure of what to do. Instead, she chose to run to Jason, who was trying to get on his feet. Brighid followed close behind while Sonum hurried to aid Dromarch.

"Go, Frank!" Brandon ordered. "Take Pyra and the others, and scram!"

The Aegis Driver's eyes filled with shock. "I can't. I can't just leave you here!" Frank said as he watched Sever slam Roc into the ground. Malos was also slowly beginning to overpower the older Driver.

"You can't die here, Frank!" Brandon exclaimed as his fists clashed against Malos's weapon. "You and your friends are too important to lose. You need to get away from here now! Live, Frank, live for them!" He kicked Malos in the chest, pushing him back slightly. "You need to leave while you still can!"

"I won't allow it!" Malos declared as he kicked Brandon in the stomach. "Give it up!"

Brandon grunted in pain as he felt the ether in his body begin to fade as it was absorbed into his weapons. He raised his right hand to attack with ether, but Malos stopped him by simply slapping the ether energy away with his bare hand. The older Driver knew it was over for him.

"Just go, Frank!" Brandon shouted desperately as he just stood there, waiting for the end. "Remember to protect the ones you love!" Malos then slashed the Driver across the chest, ending his life. Brandon then fell limply to the ground, his scythes disappearing in the process. Roc, who was trapped in Sever's grasp, began glowing with blue light before he turned into a Core Crystal and hit the ground.

"Professor!" Frank shouted, his eyes full of grief. All the other teens were overcome in despair at watching their teacher sacrifice himself for them.

Akhos stood up and adjusted his glasses. "Oh, please," he said. "Talk about cliché."

Frank howled in rage as he managed to rise to his feet. "You'll pay for this!" Frank exclaimed as he charged at Malos.

"Frank," Pyra said weakly as she slowly stood up, clutching her sore stomach. "We need to go!"

"You're a pain in the arse, you piece of crap!" Malos exclaimed as he turned and kicked Frank hard in the gut, pushing him back and subsequently causing him to land flat on his back.

As Frank struggled to his feet, he said, "I…I can't do it. I…failed…"

His friends watched in disbelief as Frank stood between Malos and Pyra.

"Frank, no," Ethan muttered.

"Frank," Meg said in worry as she helped Jason up.

"I won't let you do this!" Frank yelled defiantly.

"So long, kid!" Malos exclaimed as he prepared to deliver the final blow.

"Frank!" Pyra shouted in worry as her Core Crystal and the crystal on her tiara started to glow. Suddenly, somewhere in another dimension, a large white Artifice awakened, its eyes glowing bright red. Everyone watched as Pyra was surrounded by golden light before she changed back into Mythra.

"What?" Malos said in shock, halting his attack in the meantime.

"Mythra," Frank said softly before watching his sword change form.

The Aegis's hair rustled as she radiated a golden aura around her.

"Y-you can't rewrite the act now!" Akhos exclaimed in disbelief. "It's too late!" He and Obrona charged at the Aegis, who subsequently faced them while her Core Crystal and her tiara began glowing a bright green.

Malos instantly realized what she was about to do and shouted, "Hey idiot! Look out!"

"Huh?" Akhos said in confusion as he stopped moving and looked up. Suddenly a beam of golden light shot down from the sky, hitting the ground in front of Akhos, the force of the impact pushing him backwards.

"Akhos!" Obrona shouted in worry as she flew after her Driver, who was now running away from the Aegis but was being pursued by multiple light beams.

Mythra then summoned another light beam, this time in front of Malos and Sever, forcing them away from Frank. Her Core Crystal hummed as she sent another beam directly behind Akhos, causing him to scream as he fell flat on his chest from the impact. The blast also destroyed part of the stadium behind him.

"What the?" Meg said in disbelief as the remaining teens and Blades stood up.

Malos smirked as a golden aura surrounded Frank, who was right in front of Mythra. "Finally. Took you long enough, Mythra." He charged at Frank, who blocked his attack with his sword. Mythra helped by using her defense barrier, which didn't break this time.

Frank glanced over his shoulder and looked at his Blade. "Mythra, what's going on?"

"There's no time to explain!" Mythra said hastily. "Just focus on the fight at hand."

"All right." Frank then pushed Malos away before charging at him, a gold aura surrounding him. Sever tried to intercept him, but Frank jumped over the Blade and swung his sword at his waist, forcing the Blade away. Frank then saw Malos descending towards him, his sword tonfa ready to strike, however Frank parried the attack and knocked Malos towards Akhos.

"No way!" Mika and Kasandra exclaimed in disbelief.

Akhos rose to his feet while clutching his left shoulder. He watched as Frank returned to Mythra's side. "No, it can't be. My powers are useless? Wh-where is that energy coming from?"

"Wake up!" Malos said. "She's not drawing from the ether. It's something else."

"Not ether? So what is it?"

Malos didn't answer. Instead, he faced Mythra and said, "Not bad, Mythra. I was afraid you've gotten rusty over the last five hundred years. Now things are heating up." He and Akhos then charged at her and Frank in a zig-zag movement.

"Ready, Frank?" Mythra asked her Driver.

"You bet."

Time slowed down as Mythra activated Foresight. She and Frank then saw that Malos would attack from the left, followed by spinning slash from Akhos from the right. The vision then ended, and time returned to its normal speed. As predicted, Malos attacked from the left, but Frank spun out of the way and dodged before hitting Akhos with his sword, preventing the Tornan Driver from attacking and sending him back to Obrona.

"H-how did he dodge that?" Akhos asked in disbelief.

"Who cares how!" Malos replied as he backed away to Sever. "Just get them!"

Mythra then rained down mutliple bolts of light from the sky at the Tornan Drivers and Blades, stopping them in their tracks. Sever protected Malos with his defense barrier, but Akhos and Obrona got the full brunt of the attack.

"Piece of cake," Frank said as he ran at Akhos. Obrona tried in vain to stop the Driver with her defense barrier, but Frank simply jumped over it and got behind Akhos.

"You little…" Akhos didn't have time to finish as Frank struck across his waist with the Aegis Sword before pulling back. The blow forced also Akhos to his knees. "Th-there's no way… There's no way to break their link." He stood back up and faced his opponents. "I don't think we're gonna beat them."

"This is it," Malos said, sounding almost excited. "The true power of the Aegis. Takes me back… I've waited so long to see it again. Mythra, welcome back!"

Mythra grunted in anger as she and Frank prepared for battle. The other Drivers and Blades attacked with a renewed vigor. Meg, Sonum and Mika engaged Akhos while Jason and Ethan battled Malos. This time, Malos and Akhos struggled to deal with the Drivers after being worn out by their fight with the Aegis.

"Let's finish this," Mythra said firmly.

Frank nodded. "Yeah. Everyone, get back!"

The teen Drivers immediately got away from the Tornan Drivers. Frank and Mythra then raised the Aegis Sword to the sky together and shouted, "Sacred Arrow!" A beam of light shot out of the sword towards the sky. Bolts of light then rained down upon the Tornan Drivers and their Blades. Both Drivers shielded themselves with their arms. When the attack stopped, both Sever and Obrona started to glow blue, due to bolts of light striking and damaging their Core Crystals.

"What is this?" Obrona said as she and Sever reverted to Core Crystals. "Akhos!" Both their Core Crystals were cracked, unlike Roc's.

"Obrona!" Akhos shouted in anguish. Both Akhos's and Malos's weapons then dissolved into blue light. The former of the two fell to his knees in despair.

"Gah," Malos said in frustration. "We need to retreat. Akhos!" However, Akhos was too lost in grief to respond. "There's no time for that, Akhos!" Malos then slammed his fist against the ground, creating a dust cloud around him and Akhos. When it cleared, they were nowhere to be found.

"Finally, it's over," Mika said before collapsing in exhaustion, thankfully Kasandra caught him before he hit the ground.

"Those guys were really strong," Ethan said as he stood by Frank. "Right, Frank?" The latter didn't respond. "Frank?" Ethan saw that Frank was looking at Brandon's corpse.

Frank took a couple steps forward. "Professor Russell," he choked out. Frank was too overcome with grief that he failed to notice Mythra had blacked out behind him. Meg knelt beside the unconscious Aegis and held her in her arms. They all watched as Frank fell to his knees and wept.

**To be continued**


	6. Chapter 6: The Aegis

**Chapter 6- The Aegis**

A funeral for Brandon was held the next day. The whole academy had attended, as well as many adults from the city. Many eulogies were given, though the one that stuck out was the one Frank gave.

"I've known Professor Brandon Russell for seven years, ever since I first came here to Alrest City," Frank said. "Back then, the only person I knew was my sister, Meg. It was hard adjusting to life here, especially since we just lost everything, and our parents joined the war. For the first few nights, I kept having nightmares of the attack on my home. Professor…Brandon…supported me and helped me get through it. It was thanks to him that I was able to make friends here in Alrest City. He was the first to offer his support when my friends and I chose to turn an old storehouse into a sort of clubhouse for us. I came to view him…almost like a second father. When those terrorists attacked the school, Brandon protected me and my friends with all his might. He sacrificed himself, so we could live. That's a debt I'll never be able repay. Thank you, Brandon, for everything." After he concluded, Frank went and sat down next to his sister and friends. Their Blades were there as well, even Dromarch. Azurda was present as well, passing off as a doll. Mythra had also recovered after a long, much-needed rest from their battle with Torna.

The funeral went by quickly after that. It wasn't long until Brandon's body was buried in the cemetery. After that, almost everyone left, except the Drivers, Blades and Azurda.

"I still can't believe he's gone," Sonum said grimly.

"This… This can't be real, can it?" Mika added. Kasandra held his shoulder in comfort.

"I never thought there were other Drivers on Earth," Ethan said. "Much less that the Professor was one. He was a good person."

Mythra noticed that Frank hadn't said a word since he gave his eulogy. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern.

"I-I couldn't do anything to stop it," Frank said finally. "I couldn't do anything but watch another life be taken. I won't forget his last words. I'll fight to protect those I love, always."

"Frank," Mythra said quietly.

The Aegis Driver turned and faced his Blade. "You know I have to ask this, but what did you do back at the stadium last night?"

"I'd like to hear that too," Sonum said. "That power didn't look normal, even for a Blade."

"Was that the true power of the Aegis?" Jason asked. "We'd all like to know what that was."

Mythra was silent for a few moments. Finally, she said, "Yes… that was my true power. Remember when we were attacked by that Artifice a few weeks ago? Well, I have an Artifice of my own. It's called Siren. That was what fired those lasers down on Malos and Akhos last night. The thing is, I never wanted to use that power ever again, not after the destruction it caused during the first Shadow War."

Frank lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Mythra. If I had listened to Brandon and ran when he told me to, you wouldn't have had to use it. I just…couldn't let those guys take you. I wanted to keep you safe."

Mythra was shocked by what Frank had said, rendering her speechless.

"I think we need to hear the full story," Meg said. "What really happened five hundred years ago during the first Shadow War?"

The group chose to go to the hideout where they could talk privately. Once they arrived, Mythra began her story.

"Malos and I are Aegises," she said. "Blades born with a terrible power, strong enough to destroy entire worlds."

"Malos is another Aegis?!" Mika yelped in surprise.

Mythra nodded in confirmation. "We, like all Blades, come from a world called Alrest, which you know as the homeworld of the Titans. It's an endless sea of clouds that stretches as far as the eye can see. Humans live on the backs of the Titans as they swim across the Cloud Sea. At the center of Alrest is a colossal tree that stretches all the way up to the heavens, known as the World Tree. There are stories that the creator of our world, the Architect, lives at the top in a place called Elysium. Long ago, there was a man who climbed the World Tree hoping to reach Elysium and meet his creator. But…when he arrived in Elysium, he found it empty. So instead, as proof that he reached the divine realm, he brought back three Core Crystals, two of which were Malos and me. The third core, however, went missing sometime after his return.

"Once he made it back to Alrest, he awakened Malos. Why he did it, I can't say. For greed…for power…or perhaps something different. When Malos awakened, he wielded his world-breaking power without restraint. To him, it was natural. He had never known anything else. His power is what drew monsters from another dimension to Alrest, and subsequently to yours. I was awakened by a Driver who was determined to stop Malos's rampage and end the Shadow War. So Malos and I fought. I gave it everything I had and succeeded in defeating Malos. The Shadow Army vanished soon after. But not without a price. Three great Titans fell in the struggle, and your world was nearly brought to ruin. After that, I chose to seal myself away to ensure that power could never be unleashed again. I created Pyra to replace me as the Aegis, but my old Driver convinced me to stay a part of her. Pyra and I then fell into a long slumber. That was five hundred years ago…"

"The Aegis War," Azurda said, who was sitting in front of Mythra. "That is the true name of the first Shadow War, known only by the people of Alrest, which this very city is named after. The man who awakened Mythra was Addam, hero and one of the princes of the lost Kingdom of Torna. Addam fought as Mythra's Driver to protect both worlds from Malos and the Shadow Army. We Titans played our part in that battle, too. It is our calling to live alongside humanity, even those from other worlds. Addam hid Pyra's sleeping body inside a great ship before sending it to the bottom of the Cloud Sea, where none could abuse her power. His friends then hid their Blades away as well to ensure that they would be there to help Pyra and Mythra if they were ever needed again. Other Drivers then volunteered to seal their Blades as well to help the Aegis should she reawaken. Eventually Omega Industries discovered their whereabouts and brought them here to Earth. Though I have no idea as to what caused them to send Mythra and the others to you all, but I am sure there was a good reason for it."

"That was because of me," said a new voice. Everyone turned and saw Klaus standing by the door.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Brighid demanded.

"Wait a minute," Frank said. "I remember you. I ran into you on the day I met Mythra. You never did tell me your name though."

"My name is Klaus. I'm a scientist working for Omega Industries. I am also a follower of Addam. Addam had erased most of the records of the Aegis War on Earth, hiding the existence of Blades from this world. He was afraid of what they would do if they knew about Blades. Omega Industries had spent centuries searching for the Aegis and the Blades wielded by Addam's friends, and the Blades of those other Drivers. The thing is, I was afraid of my superiors choosing to abuse the Aegis's power for their own ends, so I sent my fellow followers around the world to search for the perfect Drivers for her and the other Blades. That was when Brandon Russell told me about you six."

Frank's eyes widened in surprise. "Brandon was a follower of Addam?"

Klaus nodded. "Yes, he was an excellent Driver and my most trusted confidant. I'm sorry to hear about his death. He was a good man. After he told me about you, Frank, I chose to meet you in person to see if you were right for the Aegis. Sure enough, you were. Once I got back to the main headquarters of Omega Industries, I sent the pods containing Pyra and the others to you. I've also had Brandon keep an eye on your progress with your Blades. I was pleased when he told me you all had the potential to be great Drivers."

"I'm not so sure," Ethan admitted. "We got our arses handed to us yesterday by Malos and Akhos. They clearly had way more experience than us since we've hardly had the time to train. If it wasn't for Mythra using her Artifice, we'd all be dead."

"Yeah, we barely managed to win against them," Mika added. "I don't think we'll get that lucky if they attack again."

"What if I told you all that there's a way you can get stronger?" Klaus offered.

"Really? What's the catch?" Meg asked in suspicion.

"There is no catch. I believe that it is best for you all to go to Alrest to further your training as Drivers."

"What?!" the Drivers exclaimed.

"However, I should warn you that you will all train separately on different Titans, and there's a chance you may never return to Earth. What do you think?"

There was a brief silence before it was broken by Frank. "I'll do it. I'll go to Alrest."

Mythra looked at her Driver in concern. "Are you sure, Frank?"

"Yes. Brandon died because of my inexperience as a Driver. I won't let that happen again. If going to Alrest will make me a better Driver, then I'll do it."

Meg made eye contact with Brighid. "Well? What do you think?"

"I'll agree with whatever you decide, Meg."

"All right then. It looks like we're going to Alrest then."

The other Drivers, after some thinking, chose to go as well. Klaus then told them that they had to leave immediately, which was fine for them. He led the Drivers and Blades into the forest, where a Titan airship was waiting.

"We're going to Alrest in that?" Jason asked.

"The only way to get to Alrest is to either create a dimensional portal using ether energy, which is extremely difficult to do," Klaus explained. "Or to go by Titan, who can travel between dimensions at will."

"What?" Frank said. "Is this true, Azurda?"

The small Titan nodded. "Yes. That is how I appeared on Earth multiple times. Sadly, I can't do it in this state. One of the disadvantages of being a larva again."

Once everyone was on board the airship, the ship took off, going through a portal to reach Alrest.

"Hey, Klaus," Ethan said, causing the scientist to face him. "What did you mean about us training separately?"

"Just as your Blades have their unique skills, so to do you," Klaus explained. "I've done a fair bit of research on all of you, and I found that you all have blood ties to Alrest."

"Really?" Sonum asked.

Klaus nodded. "Frank, you and Meg hail from Mor Ardain on your father's side. In fact, Emperor Niall, their leader, happens to be your cousin. You both also have Leftherian heritage from your mother. Jason's father is King Eulogimenos of the Kingdom of Tantal. Sonum has a distant ancestor from Gormott. Mika possesses some Urayan blood, and Ethan's family came from Mor Ardain as well."

All the Drivers, except Jason and Ethan, who were aware of their heritage since the beginning, were shocked to learn about their relations with the nations of Alrest.

"Frank and Meg's parents went to Earth shortly after Frank was born. I don't know why, but they did. Jason came here to learn more about the outside world. Ethan's family were scientists. In fact, his father and grandfather tried to create artificial Blades since they didn't have the potential to awaken Blades themselves."

"Potential? What are you talking about?" Frank said in confusion.

Klaus then pulled out Roc's Core Crystal from his pocket. The crystal glowed a bright blue. "Blades come from Core Crystals. When a potential Driver touches the crystal, they can resonate with it and awaken the Blade inside. However, if someone without potential tries resonating with a Core Crystal, they die, though there are a few cases of non-potentials surviving a failed resonance."

The Drivers, except Jason and Ethan, were horrified at what they heard. None of them would've thought it was so dangerous to become a Driver.

"Also, when a Blade loses its Driver, it returns to its core. That's what happened to Roc when Brandon died. After a while, the Blade can then resonate with a new Driver, but there's a price. It won't remember anything about its previous life."

"That's terrible," Frank said. "Having your whole past taken from you."

"But memories can be a terrible burden," Mythra replied, her eyes filled with remorse. "A Blade lives forever as long as the crystal is intact. Eternity is a long time to gather terrible memories, so in a way, being able to forget is a blessing." Frank realized that she was referring to her time in the Aegis War, which nearly destroyed both Alrest and Earth.

"Here, Frank. Take this," Klaus said as he gave the Aegis Driver a Core Crystal. "Brandon told me that if anything happened to him, I was to give Roc's Core Crystal to you."

"Why would Brandon want Frank to have his Blade?" Sonum asked. "Frank already has Mythra."

"Actually, my lady," Dromarch said. "Drivers can have multiple Blades if they wish. There's no restriction for them to only have one Blade."

Frank just stared at the Core Crystal in his hand. "I don't know. It feels wrong taking Brandon's old partner."

"The decision to resonate with Roc is yours, Frank, and yours alone," Klaus said. "Anyway, back to the artificial Blades. For the past decade, the pool of potential Drivers has been shrinking so Omega Industries decided to make their own Blades to use in the war. Ethan's father, Professor James, and grandfather, Professor Harold, volunteered for the project."

"I remember watching my father and grandfather working on an artificial Blade while I was growing up," Ethan admitted. "But right when the Blade was nearly finished, the lab was attacked by strange people. My grandfather was killed while my father gave me a box containing blueprints and an ether furnace, before telling me to run. I barely managed to escape the lab, but when the authorities arrived, neither my father nor the attackers there. The artificial Blade they were working on was also gone.

"I soon found myself here in Alrest City and chose to finish what my father and grandfather started. I then spent the next five years secretly building Poppi using the blueprints and the ether furnace my dad gave me, as well as the supplies Klaus sent me. After she was finished, the other Blades showed up, so I chose not to keep Poppi a secret anymore. I'm sorry I didn't you guys about it sooner. I just couldn't risk being discovered by the same people who attacked my father's lab."

Frank waved his hand dismissively. "Hey, it's no problem," he replied. "Like I told Mythra, everyone has things they don't want to talk about."

"So, here's what's going to happen," Klaus explained. "Meg will go to Mor Ardain, Jason to Tantal, Sonum to Gormott, Mika will be dropped off at Uraya, Ethan to Argentum, and Frank will go to the Leftherian Archipelago. Your Blades, obviously, will go with you. I know it seems risky to split you all up right now, but trust me, it is necessary."

"If you don't mind, Klaus," Azurda said. "I'd like to accompany Frank and Mythra to Leftheria. It is my home, after all."

"As you wish."

Suddenly the Titan airship emerged in Alrest. All the Drivers were amazed at the Cloud Sea below them.

Klaus smiled and said, "Welcome Drivers… to Alrest."

**Meanwhile**

Malos and Akhos were in a large room on the Marsanes. There were hundreds of Core Crystals in containers on the walls around them. A man with black hair and blue eyes approached the duo. He wore a black trench coat with red highlights and a black mask over his face. On his back was a black double-edged sword with a red crystal embedded in the hilt.

"Well?" the man asked.

"The Aegis escaped," Malos replied. "She unleashed the power of her Artiface and forced us to retreat by destroying our Blades."

Akhos adjusted his glasses. "They're more formidable than we thought, Zeke. They managed to defeat an entire unit of Blade Bots, despite their inexperience. If they continue to grow stronger, they could threaten our plans."

"Show me who the Aegis's Driver is," Zeke said.

Akhos pulled up a photo of Frank and Mythra on a large screen.

Zeke closely examined the teen. "I thought so. Do we know where the Aegis is?"

Akhos shook his head. "We're searching for her ether signature now, but something's interfering. I also sent Mikhail and my sister, Patroka, out to pick up a new unit of Blade Bots to replace the ones we lost. I also found this." He showed his comrades a video of an Ardainian transport airship preparing to take off. There were Core Crystals being loaded onto the ship.

Malos folded his arms. "What do you know? Another shipment of Core Crystals going to Indol for cleansing. Should we attack it?"

"I can handle that on my own," Zeke said. "You two focus on our preparations."

"Understood. Be careful out there," Malos replied. As he watched Zeke walk away, he added, "Hey Zeke, the kid won't be a problem for you, will he?"

Zeke stopped and shook his head. "No," he said emotionlessly. "He won't. I won't hesitate to strike him down if need be." Zeke then exited the room.

"Thought so," Malos said smugly. "I shouldn't be surprised. He's faced off against the master of darkness on his own. Compared to that, the kid's nothing but a maggot."

Akhos nodded in agreement.

**To be continued**


	7. Chapter 7: Fonsett Village

**Chapter 7- Fonsett Village**

Frank, Mythra and Azurda were dropped off at a dock in the Leftherian Archipelago. The archipelago was a bunch of island-sized Titans clustered around one giant Titan in the center, although the middle Titan was covered by the Cloud Barrier, which was a dense field of the Cloud Sea, so no one could live on it. There were bridges connecting the smaller Titans together, making it easy to island hop.

"I suggest for you three to go to Fonsett Village," Klaus advised as Frank, Mythra and Azurda got off the ship. "It's a good place for you to rest at while you train."

"Okay, but how do we get there?" Frank asked.

"Don't worry, I'll show you the way there," Azurda replied.

"Bye, Frank!" Mika exclaimed as the ship departed. "Bye Mythra!"

"Be careful and good luck!" Pandoria added.

The trio watched as the ship slowly disappeared into the horizon.

"All right, Azurda," Frank said. "Lead the way."

Azurda explained that there was a branched path that both led to Fonsett Village. The right path was faster but had a bunch of powerful monsters there. The left path was longer, but it was safer than the other. Due to them being on their own, they all agreed to take the left path.

As they journeyed to Fonsett Village, Frank couldn't help but admire the sights the archipelago had.

"This place is incredible," Frank said. "There's nothing like this back on Earth."

"It hasn't changed a bit since I was last here," Mythra added.

"You've been here before?"

The Aegis nodded. "Let's just say Addam and I travelled a lot during the Aegis War."

Frank's eyes filled with curiosity. "I hope that one of these days, you'll tell me more about your past."

"Maybe someday, I will."

After going through three small islands, the trio arrived at the entrance to a tunnel that would lead to Fonsett Village. Azurda warned the Driver and Blade that monsters dwelled within it.

"With it being just us two," Mythra said, "fights are going to be much more difficult than before and I can't use my full power underground. It might be a good idea for you to resonate with Roc."

"You sure?" Frank asked. Mythra nodded. "All right, then." He pulled out Roc's Core Crystal and held it out. "Here goes nothing." Frank then began to resonate with the Core Crystal.

Bright blue light shone from the crystal, before it turned into a familiar pair of twin scythes, which the Driver took. Roc then appeared in front of Frank.

The Wind Blade examined Frank from head to toe before saying, "So you're my new Driver? A little scrawny and young, but no problem. I'm Roc, pleased to meet you."

Mythra chuckled. "Roc talks a bit like Brandon."

The feathered Blade cocked his head. "Brandon? Who's that?"

"Oh, yeah… you wouldn't remember," Mythra said. "He was your old Driver."

"I see. So my crystal was passed down to your Driver. Tell me, what was my old Driver like?"

"He was a good man and strong," Frank said. "He had his secrets, but he was always kind. Brandon… He gave his life to protect me and my friends."

"Hmm. Then I guess I'd better do my best to protect you and your friends. I feel that is the best way to carry out my Driver's will."

Mythra then told Frank that each weapon type had their own set of Arts, and that it would be better for him to use Roc for a while, just so he could get the hang of switching between Blades. Frank agreed with her and gave her his sword, so she could better defend herself while they were in the tunnel. Roc then gave Frank a brief overview of what he needed to know, like that he was a Wind Blade and that his scythes could combine into a bigger one.

After that, they proceeded into the tunnel. It wasn't long until the group was attacked by a monster. Frank had Mythra stay back while he fought it off with Roc. Frank charged at the monster and swung his scythes at its left side, leaving behind a deep gash. The monster roared in pain before slashing its claws at the Driver, but he dodged out of the way. The monster became increasingly furious as it kept attacking, and missing, the agile Driver. In stark contrast, Frank always landed his mark when he attacked, using his new scythes perfectly.

"Wild Scythe!" Frank exclaimed as he struck his scythes against the monster's head. He then finished it off by slashing the monster's neck, killing it.

"Great work, Frank," Roc said as his Driver sheathed his weapons. "You unleashed a scythe Art perfectly, despite it being your first time. You'll make a fine Driver."

"Thanks Roc. That means a lot. When I was fighting, everything just came to me naturally. I wonder if this is how it'll be whenever I get a new Blade."

"Who knows," Mythra replied. "Let's just get moving before we get attacked again."

The group continued down the tunnel. As they travelled, Frank learned more about Blade Switching. While Mythra/Pyra would always be out, any other Blades Frank had would only appear when he called them. An example given was if he was fighting a monster with Mythra, he could then summon Roc to replace her until he switched again.

After a while, the group finally reached the other end of the tunnel.

"We should be close to Fonsett Village now," Azurda said.

Frank then saw a large cliff overlooking the Cloud Sea. On the cliff was a small village. There was a flight of stairs that led to the entrance of the village as well. The group went up the stairs, where they were greeted by a woman with dark skin.

"Welcome to Fonsett Village, Frank and Mythra," the woman said. "My name is Corinne. I've been expecting you."

Mythra looked at Corinne with suspicion. "How do you know our names? And what do you mean you've been expecting us?"

"Klaus told me you were coming," Corinne explained. "You're free to stay as long as you like. Here in Fonsett, everyone is equal."

Azurda, who was riding on Frank's shoulder, said, "Long time no see, Corinne."

The female Leftherian looked at the Titan in surprise. "Is that you, Azurda? What happened to you?"

"That's a long story," Frank said. "By the way, would you mind keeping Mythra being the Aegis a secret? I'd rather not draw unwanted attention to this village."

"You have a kind heart, Frank," Corinne replied. "Don't worry, everyone in the village has been told not to reveal Mythra's identity. How can we when her old Driver, Addam, was the one who founded our village?"

Frank gasped in surprise. "No way! Addam founded Fonsett Village?"

Corinne nodded. "Yes, and it is also where your mother, Selena, grew up."

"You knew my mother?"

"Of course. She was such a lovely girl. Always kind and put the safety of others before herself. She joined the Ardainian army when she was twenty years old to send money to our poor village. That's when she met your father, and they fell in love. You were born here in Fonsett, Frank, but soon afterwards your parents chose to go to Earth and raise you there. I don't know why they did, perhaps they thought it would be safer for you there…or maybe it was something else. How are they, by the way?"

Frank looked down at the ground and clenched his fists. "I don't know. They joined the Allied Force when I was ten years old. They sent missives to me and my sister, telling us what was happening, but they stopped sending them five years ago. I have no idea if they're alive or not."

Corinne's eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry to hear that. Follow me. I'll show you where you'll be staying."

Corinne led the group to her house. It was a two-story log cabin that was medium sized and had a porch. The inside had a room that made up the kitchen and dining room. The second floor had five small bedrooms. Frank and Mythra, much to their relief, would be getting their own rooms instead of sharing one. Roc then vanished, but promised he'd return whenever Frank called him.

There were at least five children staying at Corinne's house. When Frank asked about them, Corinne explained that they were orphans who lost their homes from the war, and that she had been taking care of them as best she could. Frank sympathized with the children, having gone through the same thing himself.

The children were all excited to meet the Aegis Driver and his Blade. They immediately started bombarding the duo with questions, like how they met, how strong they were, and, much to the duo's embarrassment, if they were an item.

"What is it with people thinking that we're dating?" Frank asked in annoyance.

"I don't know, but it's starting to get on my nerves," Mythra replied in the same tone.

It was getting late, so Corrine started making dinner. Mythra switched over to Pyra, who wanted to help cook. After an hour, they made Braised Cloud Sea Shark, which was surprisingly tasty.

"Why didn't you tell me you could cook, Pyra?" Frank asked in-between bites.

"Sorry. I wanted to, but I never had the chance," Pyra said.

"Can Mythra cook too?"

Pyra laughed. "If you call charcoaled food cooking, then yes. Trust me, you're better off not letting Mythra into the kitchen."

_Hey!_ Mythra protested. _My cooking isn't that bad._

_Oh really?_ Pyra said. _I seem to recall that the last time you cooked something, Addam and the others were bedridden for two days._

_It was my first time! And it's not like they missed any battles or anything._

Dinner went by quickly after that. Soon, Pyra began helping Corinne wash the dishes while Frank kept the kids busy by answering their questions. They were quite eager to learn about Earth and his life there.

"I'm sorry for having you do this," Corinne said to Pyra.

"It's okay. I'm happy to help," the Aegis replied. "I don't need to be in a fight to be useful."

Meanwhile, Frank was talking about his life to the kids.

"So, you lost your home too?" one of the kids, Jake, asked.

Frank nodded. "Yes. It was destroyed during a monster attack. My parents ended up sending me and my sister to a place called Alrest City, while they chose to join the Allied Force."

"You have a sister?" Rachel asked. "Where is she?"

"Mor Ardain. My friends and I chose to stay at the various Titans here in Alrest, so we could become better Drivers. I know Meg will be fine, after all she's got Brighid by her side."

"How come Mythra can change her appearance?" Hunter questioned. "Can all Blades do that?"

"No. Mythra originally created Pyra to replace her since Mythra was afraid of her power after the destruction it caused during the Aegis War."

"Which of them do you prefer?"

"Honestly, I've never really thought about it. Both Pyra and Mythra saved my life and I do my best to protect them in return."

"What do you mean? I thought Blades were meant to protect their Drivers," Jake said, confused.

"It's a two-way thing, Jake," Frank explained. "Drivers don't just use their Blade's power for Arts. There are some Arts that require a Driver's strength. A Driver's number one priority is to protect his Blade, at least that's what Klaus told me. Blades are more than just weapons, they're living beings, just like us."

"I never thought of it like that. Being a Driver sounds harder than I thought."

Frank placed a hand on Jake's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "It may not be easy, but that's a part of life. Everyone has their own reasons to fight, whether it's for money, or power, or to protect."

"When did you get this deep, Frank?" Azurda asked.

Frank shrugged. "When you've seen as much tragedy as me, you think about things you've never thought of before."

It was getting late, so everyone chose to call it a night. The next day, after breakfast, Frank and Pyra decided to explore the village. There were only a handful of small shops in Fonsett. Despite the poverty-like appearance, everyone in the village looked happy, living in harmony with each other.

"It's so peaceful here," Frank said as he and Pyra sat near the edge of the cliff, overlooking the Cloud Sea. The Aegis Sword laid next to the Driver, the tip of it planted in the grass.

Pyra nodded in agreement. "I know. Makes it hard to believe that there's a war going on."

Frank laid down on the grass, resting his head on his arms. "I wonder how the others are doing. Shame Klaus never gave us a way to communicate with each other."

"I'm sure they're fine, Frank. Besides, we're not here for a vacation. We're here to get stronger."

Frank sat back up. "I know that. But how can I improve when there's nothing to fight?"

**Meanwhile**

Jake, Hunter and Rachel were in a forest on a nearby island.

"Jake! Why are we here?" Rachel asked.

"To be like Frank, duh," Jake replied as if it was the simplest thing. "Don't you remember when Frank told us how he killed hordes of monsters all at once? If he can get that strong, we can too."

Hunter groaned in frustration. "You're forgetting that Frank's a Driver! He was only able to kill that many monsters because he had Mythra, who's a Blade, to help him! None of us have Blades of our own, so how are we gonna be like him?!"

Jake, however, smiled confidently, perhaps a little too confident. "C'mon Hunter. How hard can it be? Monsters are dumb, they can't be that hard to take down."

As soon as Jake said that, they were immediately surrounded by Tirkin.

"You were saying, genius?" Hunter said mockingly. "What do we do? We're trapped."

"We fight of course!" Jake replied.

"Are you crazy?! We don't know how to fight! Not to mention we're surrounded!"

"I wanna go home now!" Rachel said desperately.

Jake charged recklessly at the Tirkin in front of him, but he was hit from behind the head by a spear, causing him to black out. Hunter and Rachel tried to run, but were immediately captured by the Tirkin, alongside Jake.

**Back at Fonsett**

Frank was busy taking a nap under the shade of a tree. Pyra was amazed how quickly the teen fell asleep despite the urgency of why they were here. Unfortunately, the moment did not last as Corinne came running to the duo.

"Frank! Pyra! I can't find Jake, Hunter or Rachel anywhere! They're missing!"

The Aegis Driver immediately shot up awake. "Where were they last seen?" he asked.

"By the village gate. I think they went to another island. It's too dangerous for children to leave Fonsett Island. Most of the other islands are filled with monsters. They could get hurt or worse."

"Don't worry, Corinne," Frank reassured. "We'll find them. Let's go Pyra!"

"Okay."

"Be careful!" Corinne called out as Frank and Pyra hurried out of the village.

"Where do you think they went?" Pyra asked.

"I doubt they went to the tunnel we used to get here," Frank replied. "That place is way too dangerous for children to go to alone. There must be another way off the island, one that doesn't involve going past monsters."

"I know of one." Frank and Pyra turned and saw Azurda fluttering behind them. "Corinne told me what happened. You're still new to Leftheria, Frank. You'll need a guide if you don't want to get lost around here."

Frank scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. Spur of the moment."

"I'm not blaming you, Frank. Just take a bit more caution before running off next time."

"I'll try."

"Good. Now then, I believe we have some kids to find. They most likely went to the east bridge. There's no monsters there, so they wouldn't have to worry about being attacked. The bridge connects to another island that has a forest. They may be wandering around there."

The group made haste for the bridge.

As they ran, Frank said, "What the heck were those three thinking? Why would they take off like that?"

"Maybe they wanted to fight monsters to be like you," Pyra suggested.

Frank gritted his teeth. "I knew I shouldn't have told them that story. Those idiots. Fighting monsters isn't as simple as they think. The only reason I won those fights was because of you and Mythra. I would've died otherwise."

They quickly crossed the bridge, arriving at the next island, and like Azurda said, there was a forest there. The group stealthily moved through the trees before spotting a Tirkin camp. There were about seven Tirkins in the camp. Locked in a cage were none other than Jake, Hunter and Rachel.

"Not good," Azurda said. "They got themselves caught by Tirkin. Despite their appearance, Tirkin are quite intelligent. This won't be easy."

"With the numbers we've got, a head-on attack is too risky," Frank said. "And the Tirkin could easily use the kids as a shield."

"What are we going to do, Frank?" Pyra asked nervously.

Frank thought for a moment. "We'll need to lure them away. As a group, they're tough, but in smaller numbers, not so much. If we pick them off one-by-one, we can move in and rescue Jake and the others."

Pyra nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Frank picked up a rock and tossed it at a Tirkin, hitting it in the head. The Tirkin immediately turned and saw the Driver before charging at him. Frank and Pyra ran a few feet away from the camp before stopping to face their pursuer.

"You pay for that!" the Tirkin exclaimed.

"We'll see," Frank said as he drew his sword.

The Tirkin thrusted its spear at the Driver, who dodged out of the way. Frank then swung his sword against the Tirkin's side, causing it to scream in pain. The Tirkin immediately started to relentlessly attack with its spear, but Frank blocked every attack with his sword.

"Rolling Smash!" Frank exclaimed as he slammed his sword against the ground, sending a blast of flames at the Tirkin. The Tirkin couldn't move away in time and was killed by the Art.

Frank then repeated the process three times, before the rest of the Tirkin realized what was happening.

"Intruder!" one of the Tirkin exclaimed, causing Frank and Pyra to come out of hiding.

"It's Frank!" Hunter cheered. "He's here to save us!"

The Tirkin charged at the Driver who simply stood there. "Roc!" Frank's sword suddenly vanished before being replaced with dual scythes. The familiar Wind Blade then appeared behind the Driver.

Frank struck the first Tirkin down with his scythes. Another Tirkin fired an arrow at him, but Roc blocked it with his defense barrier. Frank then tossed his scythes in the air as Roc flew to catch them.

"Death Wing!" Roc shouted as he rained down a barrage of feathers towards the bow-using Tirkin, killing it.

"Pyra!" Frank called out, the Aegis Sword reappearing in his hands. Roc then disappeared, along with his scythes. Frank parried a Tirkin's spear with his sword but was unable to avoid an arrow to the shoulder, causing both him and Pyra to flinch in pain. Frank quickly killed the Tirkin he was fighting before pulling out the arrow. The two remaining Tirkin charged at him, their spears raised.

Frank glanced back at his Blade and said, "Ready Pyra?"

Pyra nodded. "Yes."

A golden aura surrounded Frank and Pyra as they raised the Aegis Sword together, a pillar of flames shooting out of it. "Burning Sword!" they shouted in sync before slamming the sword down on the Tirkin, killing them instantly.

"Wow," the three kids said in awe.

After Frank freed them from their cage, Jake started rambling about the battle. "That was so cool! First you took down that first Tirkin with no problem. Then you switched to another Blade and killed another two. Then you finished the rest of them off with Pyra. You've got to teach me how to do all that, please Frank?"

Frank, however, looked very displeased. "What were you three thinking, leaving the village without telling anybody?"

"Huh?" Jake said in confusion. "I just wanted to be like you and fight monsters."

"A child doesn't stand a chance against a monster!" Frank shouted, causing the children to reel back in shock. "I can fight monsters because I've got Pyra and Roc backing me up. You don't have any way of protecting yourself, Jake. You could have been killed. Hunter and Rachel could've been killed. Next time, I may not be around to rescue you. Don't ever do this again."

Jake looked down at the ground in shame. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Good, now let's get back to Fonsett," Frank said.

Together, they all returned to Fonsett Village, unaware they were being watched by a silver-haired man with a gray mask and blue eyes. The man wore a silver trench coat, fingerless gloves, pants and boots. He also had a black nodachi with a blue crystal embedded in the hilt strapped to his back. By his side was a teenage girl with beige hair, hazel eyes and cat-like ears. She wore a yellow outfit, a white and red scarf, a black belt with kunai knives and black boots. She also had twin rings strapped to her waist. As soon as the group was out of sight, the man and girl disappeared.

When the group got back to Fonsett, Corinne immediately scolded the children for leaving the village without telling her before immediately hugging them in relief. Corinne also thanked Frank and Pyra for their help, which the duo graciously passed off. Frank also bandaged up his injured shoulder.

"So it's true," a voice called out. "The Aegis has returned with a new Driver."

Frank immediately went on-guard and looked around for the source. "Who said that? Where are you?"

"Look up."

Frank and Pyra did what they were told and saw the same masked man on a nearby rooftop. The man then jumped off and landed effortlessly in front of the duo.

"Who are you?" Frank demanded. "And how do you know about Pyra?"

"That is of little importance," the man said. "I'm surprised that the Aegis chose someone like you for a Driver. You could probably handle a normal Blade, but her, not likely."

Frank gritted his teeth in frustration as he drew his sword. "This crap's getting really old. I'm stronger than I look."

"Then by all means," the man said as he pulled out his nodachi, "prove it."

Corinne quickly led the children away while the two swordsmen just stood there, waiting. Suddenly, the masked man ran at Frank at high speed. The Driver was barely able to block the man's sword in time before the man followed it up by slashing at Frank's leg, causing both the Driver and Aegis to flinch in pain. Frank quickly countered by swinging his sword at the man's side, but the man nimbly dodged out of the way and struck Frank's right arm with his nodachi.

"He's strong," Frank said as he backed up to Pyra. "And fast too."

"I've got an idea," Pyra said before switching to Mythra. "We'll use Foresight to predict his attacks. That way you'll be able to counter them easier."

Frank nodded in acknowledgement. "All right. And Mythra…"

"I know, don't worry," the Blade interrupted. "I won't use _that_ power. We can handle this guy without Siren."

"Thanks."

The man was surprisingly unfazed by the Aegis's appearance change. Instead, he charged at Frank, who had a gold aura around him, as well as Mythra.

"Chillstroke!" the man exclaimed as he began the Art by thrusting his sword towards the Driver's chest, but Frank predicted the action and quickly blocked it. The swordsman quickly followed it up with a diagonal slash, but Frank blocked that as well. The two then began unleashing a flurry of slashes, both unable to land a blow on the other. After a while, Frank somehow managed to hit his opponent's arm, causing the man to jump back.

The man then charged at the Driver again, but Mythra got between them and protected her Driver with her defense barrier. Mythra looked the swordsman in the eyes and felt something familiar about him.

"What the?" she said to herself. "I know him, but where?"

The man then broke through the barrier with his sword, pushing Frank and Mythra back. "Is that the best you can do, _boy_?" the man taunted.

Though Frank felt a strong sense of rage build up in him, he kept a level head. He knew that the man was goading him to attack recklessly to exhaust Mythra's power. Instead, Frank had a different approach.

"Mythra, it might be time to go all out," Frank said.

"What are you saying?" Frank told the Aegis his idea. "Interesting, but it might just work. Let's do it."

Frank charged at the man. "Sword Bash!" the Driver shouted, lunging his sword at his opponent. As expected, the man blocked the Art with his nodachi, but Frank quickly followed it up by activating Double Spinning Edge, which was also blocked. Frank then surprised the man when he jumped backward before throwing his sword to Mythra, who subsequently caught it with both hands.

"This'll put the force in Foresight," she said as glowing green marks appeared on her body. "Supernova!" Mythra raised her sword skyward as the beam extended before swinging it down towards the man and following it up with a spin attack. After she was finished, the marks faded away.

The man howled in pain as the Blade Art hit. An orange orb of light then began to orbit around him. "Frank, now!" Mythra shouted as she threw her sword back to him.

"On it!" Frank acknowledged as he caught the sword and charged at the man. The Driver then shattered the orb of light with his sword, causing a small explosion that pushed both him and the masked swordsman away. They both panted in exhaustion before subsequently falling to their knees.

"Impressive," the man said with a smirk. "You're not as inexperienced as I thought you were, kid. Mythra and Pyra made the right choice in making you their Driver."

"You aren't too bad, yourself," Frank replied. "Now will you tell us why you're really here?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I was here for the Aegis?"

"No. If you really wanted to capture Pyra and Mythra, you wouldn't have given yourself away so easily. I also noticed the look in your eyes. You don't like to fight, do you?"

"Clever kid." The man chuckled as he and Frank rose to their feet and put their weapons away. "You fit quite well with Mythra. You are correct, I came here to test your skills and to lend you my sword."

"My name's Frank," the Driver said as he reached his hand towards the man. "What's yours?"

"You may call me Jin," the man replied as he shook the teen's hand.

'_I knew it,_' Mythra thought, remembering exactly who the swordsman was. "You haven't changed at all, Jin."

"Neither have you, Mythra," Jin said with a smirk, causing Frank to become confused.

"Wait? You guys know each other?" Frank asked.

"Of course," Mythra replied. "Jin and I fought together in the Aegis War. He was 'the strongest man in Torna' until it fell in the war. We can trust him."

"But how is he still alive?! The Aegis War was five hundred years ago!"

"Let's just say Mythra, Brighid and the other Blades weren't the only ones who were sealed away after the war," Jin answered. "I was too."

"And the mask?"

"Sorry, but I can't remove it. Not now. Some things are best kept hidden."

Frank folded his arms, he looked disappointed but understood. "So you've got secrets of your own. It's all right. Pyra and Mythra are the same way. I won't force the truth out of you, Jin. Reveal only when you're ready to."

"Thank you, Frank," Jin said in gratitude.

"How'd you find us anyway?" Mythra asked curiously. "We only just arrived in Alrest, so there hasn't been any time for rumors to spread about us."

"A man named Klaus sent me here," Jin explained. "He figured you two wouldn't get much combat practice with how peaceful Fonsett Village is, so I'm here to help you get stronger. Klaus was also concerned about Torna finding out you're here by yourselves and wanted you to have some added protection as well."

Frank cracked a smile. "Well, I'm not gonna turn down the help. Welcome to the team, Jin."

Jin returned the gesture. "Glad to be a part of it. By the way, I also have someone else under my protection. Come on out!"

The girl from before appeared from behind a tree and approached her comrade.

"Who's this?" Mythra asked curiously.

"This is Nia," Jin explained. "She's a Gormotti girl that I helped on my way here. She may not have a Blade, but she knows how to fight, and she's an excellent healer as well."

Frank extended his hand towards Nia. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nia," the Driver said. "Any friend of Jin's is a friend of mine."

Nia folded her arms. "Seriously? You were just fighting Jin a minute ago and you're already calling him a friend? What a weirdo."

Everyone else laughed at the comment. "That was different," Frank replied. "Jin wasn't really trying to hurt us, he just wanted to test us."

"Now we don't have to worry about any serious injuries," Mythra added. "Nia here can heal us up whenever we need it."

"Just don't get too reckless," Nia interjected. "I'm not a miracle worker. My Healing Arts do have limits you know."

"That means you, Frank," Mythra said mischievously.

"Hey!" Frank shouted as everyone else laughed at his reaction.

**To be continued**


	8. Chapter 8: The Flamebringer

**Chapter 8- Rise of the Flamebringer**

Meg and Brighid were let off at the dock by the Imperial Palace of Mor Ardain. Emperor Niall was given notice of their arrival and came to greet them in person. The emperor looked around fourteen years old and had blue hair and eyes. He was dressed in a regal outfit that showed his standing. On his right was a male Blade dressed in a black and silver outfit with a chroma katana on his waist, while to his left was an old man who glared at Meg in suspicion.

"Welcome to Mor Ardain," Niall greeted when he saw his cousin and her Blade approach. "I am Emperor Niall. This is my Blade, Aegaeon, and this is Roderich of the Imperial Senate. It is an honor to meet you, my cousin."

Meg bowed respectfully. "It is an honor for me as well, Your Majesty. I will make sure to be of use."

"Why did you choose to reveal yourself now, _girl_?" Roderich demanded. "How do we know you're not a spy from another nation trying to infiltrate the capital?"

Niall glared at the senator. "Apologize now, Roderich," the emperor said. "Meg bears the last name of my lord Uncle Zane Ladair, and she is the wielder of Brighid, one of the twin Jewels of the Empire."

Roderick, although reluctantly, apologized for his words.

Brighid raised an eyebrow. "Jewels of the Empire?"

Aegaeon nodded. "That is what we are called. You were… are… the strongest Blade of Mor Ardain, with me close behind. The first emperor resonated with us when he founded the empire. When he died, our Core Crystals were passed on from one generation to the next. We had single duty, to protect His Majesty. Our last Driver, Emperor Hugo, chose to seal you away after the Aegis War, so that you would aid the Aegis when she would reawaken. I was not sealed away because the emperor needs at least one of the Jewels of the Empire."

"Is that true? My memories are all distorted. I can't remember anything before I met Lady Meg."

"It must be a side-effect from being sealed away for so long," Niall theorized. "Don't worry, Brighid, your memories will return in time. In the meantime, I believe this will suffice. Aegaeon."

The male Blade brought out a book that matched Brighid's color scheme.

"Is that a diary?" Meg asked curiously.

"Yes. This is Brighid's journal," Aegaeon explained to the female Driver. "My lady, as you must be aware by now, when a Blade returns to their core, they lose all their memories of their previous life. Because of this, most Blades try writing down their experiences in journals, hoping to preserve their memories in paper, but it is mostly in vain. After all, a Core Crystal cannot protect a diary. Brighid and I are fortunate amongst Blades for being imperial treasures, so our journals are always secure." Aegaeon then gave the journal back to its owner.

Brighid stared at the book with curiosity. "Thank you, Aegaeon."

The Water Blade politely bowed. "It is my pleasure, Brighid."

"Meg," Niall said suddenly, wanting to move on to the matter at hand. "I would like you to tell me about yourself. I'm curious to know what all my cousin experienced on Earth."

"I'd be happy to, Your Majesty," Meg replied. "Just to be certain, you are aware that I have an older brother, right?"

Niall nodded. "Yes, I am. His name is Frank, correct? A shame he could not come. I would love to meet him and his Blade."

"It just so happens I know where he is. If you so wish, we could possibly arrange a visit."

The young emperor smiled at the thought. "Thank you, Meg. Now come. We have prepared a banquet and after that, we'll make a public announcement of your connection to the imperial line."

"Is that necessary?" Meg asked in concern. "I'm worried about it drawing unwanted attention."

"I'm afraid we have to, dear cousin," Niall replied grimly. "I am aware of the risks it has, but this must be done to avoid ill rumors from being spread. It is a very complicated matter, so nothing can be left to chance."

Meg reluctantly nodded. This wasn't going to be as simple as she thought it was. "Very well."

Niall and Aegaeon then led the female Driver and her Blade into an elevator that led up to the throne room/banquet hall. There were around a dozen other people sitting around the table. Niall took a seat at the far end of the table, with Aegaeon sitting on his right. Meg sat down by the other side of the emperor alongside Brighid.

"Your Majesty," one of the men said. He had purple hair and dressed like a Frenchman. "Just who is this _girl_ and that Blade?"

Niall rose to his feet and gestured to Meg and Brighid. "Gentlemen, ladies, this is my cousin, Meg Ladair, daughter of my lord Uncle Zane Ladair. Her Blade is Brighid, one of the twin Jewels of the Empire."

"What?!" all the adults shouted in shock.

"I understand your reactions," Niall added. "As you know, my lord uncle went to Earth with his family seventeen years ago after he sired a son. Meg was born sometime after they left had Alrest. You are to give her the same respect as me."

Most of the adults were still recovering from their shock. After they had recovered, Meg was introduced to them all. Roderich, who she already met; Consul Dughall, who was the leader of Torigoth, capital of the recently annexed Gormott; a couple other senators and General Luke of the Imperial Army. As they ate, Meg learned that Mor Ardain's Titan was near death, causing the land to go barren. In order to support their large population, the Ardainian Empire took over the fertile lands of Gormott. She also learned that although there was a ceasefire between them and Uraya, tensions were high for another war, something the emperor wanted to avoid.

In exchange, Meg talked about her life on Earth, like how she met Brighid, her time in Alrest City, to training as a Driver.

"Your brother is the Driver of the Aegis?!" Dughall exclaimed. "Is he even aware that it possesses the power to render Alrest asunder?"

"Of course, he does," Meg replied, glaring suspiciously at the consul. "But he chooses not to use that power because of the destruction it causes."

"That's the whole point!" Dughall protested. "He is a fool if he doesn't seek to claim the Aegis's power as his own! Where is he? I will have him give it to someone worthier of the Aegis's glory."

"You mean someone like you?" Meg said, hearing the greed in the consul's voice. "Frank is worthy of the Aegis because he chooses not to abuse her power for personal gain. He instead uses her power to help people. And he'll protect the Aegis no matter what."

"Why would he do such a thing? Blades can regenerate from any injury. He should be using the Aegis to protect himself, not the other way around."

If looks could kill, Dughall would have died from the glare he got from the female Driver, making consul realize his mistake. "If that's what you think about Blades, then you're nothing more than a coward," Meg snapped. "Even if Blades can regenerate, that doesn't mean they don't feel pain. A true Driver protects their Blade as they protect them. Blades are more than just weapons, they're living beings. How would you like it if someone used you as a living shield?"

The consul shirked back in his seat, keeping quiet for the remainder of the banquet. The rest of the banquet went by quickly after that. After the nobles all left, Meg and Brighid were alone with the emperor and Aegaeon.

"I'm sorry, Niall," Meg said. "I let my emotions get the best of me. That Dughall person just really stirred me up."

The young emperor, surprisingly, shook his head in understanding. "It is okay, Meg. You were right to put Dughall in his place. Consul Dughall is one those who view Blades as mere tools rather than equals like you and me. To be quite honest, I am thinking of stripping him of his consul status. There are rumors that he's been taking bribes from a Nopon businessman and selling broken Core Crystals to Indol."

"What all am I going to be doing here? I'm not the sort to just sit around and do what I'm told."

"I wasn't expecting you to be, Meg," Niall admitted. "You are going to have to learn about politics, and to how keep a level head at all times. If you wish, you could also help General Luke with any problems he has."

"All right."

Niall noticed it was getting dark outside. "It's getting late. We'll make the announcement tomorrow. I'll have a servant show you and Brighid to your rooms."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. See you tomorrow," Meg said as a servant approached them.

Meg and Brighid then followed the servant out of the throne room.

"Are you sure it is wise to involve yourself in politics?" Brighid asked her Driver.

Meg nodded. "Klaus told us to do whatever we could to get stronger. Knowing my way around politics may come in handy in certain situations. Besides, I can't let Frank get the best of me. He may have the strongest Blade, but when we next fight, I'll win."

"If that's what you wish, then I have no objections. I must admit that I would like to go against the Aegis again, even if it's just a friendly match."

The servant showed that Meg and Brighid's rooms were right next to each other. After saying good night to her Blade, Meg went into her room, which was as large as her dorm back in Alrest City. Meg then took a quick shower and changed into sleepwear before going to sleep. She figured that she'd have a long day ahead of her.

**The next day**

When Meg woke up, she changed back into her Driver armor and was told by a servant to go to the throne room. Meg found her way to the throne room easily enough, and found Niall, Aegaeon and Brighid already there having breakfast.

"Good morning," Niall said when he saw his cousin.

"Morning," Meg replied, taking a seat next to Brighid. The female Driver helped herself to a plate of food.

"I was thinking that after breakfast, we'd go to Alba Cavanich and reveal your lineage to the public. After that, we'll start your lessons on Mor Ardain."

"Okay," Meg replied, still reluctant about the whole thing.

"Relax, Meg. Everything will be fine. I'm sure the people will love you."

"If you say so."

**Later**

Meg, Niall and their Blades were escorted to Alba Cavanich by Ardainian soldiers. There were dozens of civilians gathered in the city plaza, all of them wondering what it is the young emperor wished to announce. Once everyone was quiet, Emperor Niall explained that Meg was the daughter of his uncle Zane Ladair, who had left Mor Ardain years ago. As expected, the citizens were shocked and demanded proof, which was Brighid as she, along with Aegaeon, could only be wielded by the imperial bloodline.

Naturally there were questions about where Meg has been, and why she chose to reveal herself now. While they did say that she was from Earth, they chose to say that Meg had come to help the Empire, rather than give the actual reason. After a while, the questioning died down, prompting the royals and their Blades to return to the palace. Meg then had to endure a five-hour lecture on the history of Mor Ardain.

After the lecture was over, Meg began learning military tactics from General Luke. Luke then had her spar against some of his soldiers, with Brighid's help of course. The soldiers thought the whole idea was a joke, and an easy win for them, but their confidence quickly changed to fear when they saw Meg defeat the first soldier with little-to-no effort. Some chose to fight the Driver individually, others thought it was safer to attack as a group, but Meg and Brighid defeated them all, and the duo weren't even using their full power.

"Most impressive," Luke said with pride. "I see fighting runs in the family."

"Believe it or not, I've actually faced against stronger opponents," Meg replied.

"Like the Aegis?"

Meg nodded. "It was just a training fight, so we weren't trying to kill each other or anything. But Frank and Mythra are really strong. They managed to dodge me and Brighid's ultimate attack right before they countered. He didn't even try hitting me with that blow, and instead called the match a draw. He actually… held back against me. The next time I get to fight Frank, I'm gonna make sure that he goes all out, because I will."

"Has anyone told you you're a little _too_ competitive, milady?" Luke asked.

Meg smirked. "Yeah, I've been that way ever since I was a child. I don't like being handed things, I'd rather earn it for myself, whether it's winning a duel or something else altogether."

Luke let out a hearty laugh. "Well said, Lady Meg. With your mastery over fire, maybe we should call you 'The Flamebringer'. I bet it'll catch on quick."

"The Flamebringer?" Meg repeated. "I like it."

Unfortunately, their conversation was interrupted when a soldier hurried over to them.

"General Luke, I have terrible news," the soldier said hastily. "Senator Helena has been found dead at the hot springs. We believe she may have been murdered."

"What?" Luke exclaimed, remembering that said senator had attended the banquet with her husband, Senator Stulc, just yesterday. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, sir. What should we do?"

"We investigate, of course! Has the body and the crime scene been secured?"

The soldier nodded. "Yes, sir. We left some soldiers and one of our new Drivers there to secure the area. We are only waiting for your arrival."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Luke said. "Let's go."

"General Luke," Meg said suddenly, causing the Ardainian general to face her. "Brighid and I would like to help with your investigation. As part of the imperial line, this is my responsibility as well. May we be allowed to assist?"

"Of course," Luke replied. "This will be good experience for you, my lady. Feel free to share your thoughts on the matter at any time."

"I will. Thank you, General."

Luke, Meg and Brighid then followed the soldier onto a transport vessel back to Alba Cavanich. They then made their way to the inn, which had the hot spring where the crime was committed. The senator's body was laying on a wet towel, indicating that she was in the water during the crime. Kneeling by the body was a man with cat-like ears dressed in black Ardainian armor and a lance. By his side was a male Blade.

"Jac," Luke called out. "What happened?"

Jac looked up at his superior and said, "Victim was stabbed from behind with a knife. She was found dead by one of the residents at the inn. We're currently searching for any possible leads."

Meg examined her surroundings, remembering the military tactics Luke taught her. The hot spring was on the edge of a clifftop, with walls on three sides of it. On the right was a cliffside that overlooked a factory.

"In order for the culprit to get close enough to kill the senator, they'd have to sneak up on her," Meg said. "Were there any witnesses?"

"No ma'am," Jac replied. "Wait, who are you?"

"This Meg Ladair, cousin of Emperor Niall," Luke explained. "And that's her Blade, Lady Brighid, Jewel of the Empire. You are to treat them with the same respect as you would me."

Meg thought for a moment. "If no one saw anything, then the murderer didn't sneak through the inn. Which means…" She turned her eyes towards the cliffside.

"They would've entered the hot spring by jumping from that cliff," Brighid finished, having the same thought. "It would most likely be their escape route as well. There must be some clues up there."

Luke nodded. "Good thinking, you two. Jac, I want you and another soldier to investigate that area. Tell us anything you find up there. Meanwhile, Meg and I will go to Senator Stulc and… tell him the bad news."

Jac saluted. "Sir, yes, sir." Jac then sent another soldier to fetch a ladder so they could climb up the cliff.

In the meantime, Luke, Meg and Brighid returned to the palace. On the way, Luke briefed the Driver that Jac was a Gormotti who became a Driver to support his siblings after his father, Alex, left when their mother died. They found Stulc wandering around the palace halls. When they told Stulc of his wife's death, he was overwhelmed with despair.

"No! Helena is dead?!" Stulc exclaimed. "And you say she was murdered?"

"I'm afraid so," Luke said grimly. "Senator, was there anyone who would have a reason to kill your wife?"

"I don't think so. Helena was kind to everyone. Oh no, what am I going to tell my son? He'll be devastated when he finds out."

"Has anything unusual happened recently? Something that's never happened before?" Meg asked.

Stulc paused before answering, "Now that you mention it, one of my servants, Vincent, hasn't shown up for work yet. He's never late, and he also knows my wife's day-to-day routine."

"Looks like we've got our suspect," Luke said as he received a call from Jac, which he answered. "Did you find anything?"

"We found a trail of footprints leading to and from the factory outer walls," Jac replied. "There were no witnesses there either, but when we used a Blade with a tracking skill, we found a trail leading to an old mine outside the capital."

"Where are you?"

"Right in front of the elevator that leads down to the mine."

"Stay there. I'll call for reinforcements and meet you there."

"Roger," Jac said before hanging up.

Luke quickly explained what he learned to Meg and told her to go to the old mine while he mobilized some troops. Meg acknowledged and hurried over to the mine with Brighid, finding the mine elevator thanks to directions from Luke. Jac and his Blade were standing by the elevator.

"Lady Meg, Lady Brighid, where is General Luke?" Jac asked in concern.

"The general is trying to mobilize some soldiers to investigate the mine," Brighid explained. "Jac, you stay here and wait for them, while Lady Meg and I go down into the mine."

Jac nodded reluctantly. "Okay. Be careful down there. The mine is filled with monsters."

"Your concern is appreciated, but we'll be fine," Meg said before she and Brighid entered the elevator and descended to the mine.

The mine was a large pit with metal platforms on the sides. There were large pipes sticking out, and at the bottom of the pit was filled with an ether pool. The air in the pit felt incredibly hot, most likely because of the ether.

"Careful Meg," Brighid warned as they stepped off the elevator. "Fall in that ether pool, and you're toast."

"Why is there an ether pool here?"

"It's most likely the Titan's blood seeping out due to old age. I don't think we're in any immediate danger but still, we shouldn't dwell too long here."

Meg wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I won't argue with that. Let's hurry and find that Vincent guy and get out of here."

Meg and Brighid climbed up a nearby ladder to one of the large pipes. The Driver immediately drew her weapons, preparing for a fight. Her intuition proved correct as a flock of Vangs (which were basically bats but more aggressive) descended towards them.

"Azure Striker, Form the Second: Blaze!" Meg shouted. The blades of her whipswords ignited into blue flames as she swung her weapons at the Vangs, the blades extended into whips and struck all the Vangs at once, incinerating them in blue fire. The flames died as the whips retracted back into blades.

With the monsters dead, Meg and Brighid continued down the pipe, the latter of which created a small blue fire in her hand to use for light. They soon ran into an Aspar (a giant cobra), but it met its end by Brighid's Will-o'-the-Wisp attack. After a few minutes, the Driver and Blade reached the exit, which was a cliff overlooking a canyon. On Meg's left, she saw a man who she assumed to be Vincent and two soldiers dressed in strange armor.

"I told you Lady Helena's schedule, now where is the gold you promised me?" Vincent said. One of the men handed him a small bag. "Why did you two want to know my lady's schedule anyway? She wouldn't be pleased if you disrupt it."

The other man laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't be concerned about that. She's dead now."

Vincent reeled back in horror. "What?! L-lady Helena is dead?"

The first man said, "The information you provided was very helpful to Brionac. Senator Helena was trying to stop our movement to overthrow the empire. But since I told you, you have to die."

"N-no!" Vincent shouted in fear.

The two men each drew a sword and prepared to strike Vincent, when suddenly a wall of blue flames got in-between them.

"What the?!" the second man exclaimed.

"That is enough," Meg said with authority as she and Brighid approached them.

"Who the hell are you?!" the first Brionac soldier demanded as the fire wall dispelled.

"I am Meg Ladair, cousin of Emperor Niall. I am placing you under arrest for the murder of Senator Helena and the attempted murder of her servant, Vincent."

The other Brionac soldier laughed cynically. "You're the supposed cousin of the Emperor? Do you seriously think you can take both of us on your own?"

"I can," Meg said calmly. "I fought an Artifice, machines, even members of Torna. Compared to all that, you two are nothing."

The first soldier growled. "Yeah, right. Let's see if you can back that talk up, _girl_!"

The two soldiers charged at Meg with their swords raised. They tried attacking the Driver from both sides, but Meg easily blocked their attacks with her whipswords. She then countered by slashing at their chests, cutting deep through their armor.

"Azure Striker, Form the Second: Radiance!" Meg shouted as she slammed her whipswords on the ground sending the whips encased in blue flames at the soldiers, cutting through their already damaged armor and killing them. The two soldiers then fell limply to the ground.

Soon Luke, Jac and his Blade, and a handful of Ardainian soldiers appeared from the pipe.

"Lady Meg! Lady Brighid!" the general exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"We are fine, General," Brighid replied. "We just stopped two rogue soldiers from killing a key witness."

Meg turned her attention to Vincent, who was quivering in fear. "Please, spare me!" Vincent begged. "I didn't know they wanted to kill Lady Helena, I swear."

"Then tell us what you know about them," Meg demanded.

"Th-they're part of an organization called Brionac, a repel group that opposes the Empire and Emperor Niall. Please believe me, I didn't find out about their allegiance until right now."

"Do you know where their base is?"

"They mentioned an old storage place underneath the capital at a previous meeting," Vincent stuttered. "Maybe that's where the rest of their group is hiding."

Brighid eyed her Driver curiously. "What should we do now, Meg?"

The Flamebringer thought for a moment before answering, "General, get this man back to the palace. We need him alive for further questioning. Brighid and I will go on ahead to the storage he mentioned and investigate."

"Understood," Luke said hesitantly. "But are you sure you should go without back-up?"

"Send Jac and some soldiers over once Vincent has been safely detained. I have a feeling he needs to be there."

Luke saluted. "Roger. Be careful."

As the general and his troops began escorting Vincent back to the palace, Meg and Brighid hurried back to Alba Cavanich and went to where the old storage facility was located. There was a small platform connected to a large pipe that served as the entrance to the storage, along with a wooden door. Meg drew her right whipsword, while giving her other one to Brighid, who held it in her opposite hand, before opening the door and entering the building. Inside was a Gormotti man with twin rings on his waist and a Blade (which was his), and three Brionac soldiers.

"What?" the man shouted. "How did you find this place?"

"Under the name of His Majesty, Emperor Niall, you are all under arrest!" Meg declared. "Lay down your arms and surrender now!"

"Ardainian scum," the man said bitterly as he drew his twin rings. "Your precious empire murdered my wife. I won't stop until Mor Ardain is no more. Attack!"

The other soldiers drew their weapons and charged at the female Driver and Blade.

"So be it," Meg said before she gave one of her whipswords to her Blade. The duo were then surrounded by a golden aura. "Brighid! Form the Third!"

"Roger that, Lady Meg," Brighid replied as they raised their swords in sync, extending the whips and encasing them in blue flames.

"Soulfire!" The Driver and Blade shouted together before swinging their swords at the soldiers, striking them with a wave of blue flames, promptly causing an explosion of blue fire to fill the room. When the smoke cleared, all three soldiers were lying on the ground, unconscious.

The man flinched in fear. "S-so strong. Who are you?"

"You can call me Meg, the Flamebringer. This is my Blade, Brighid, one of the twin Jewels of the Empire. Lay down your arms if you wish to live."

The man, however, prepared to charge at the Driver. Suddenly Jac and his Blade entered the storehouse, followed by half a dozen soldiers, who surrounded the man and his group. "Sorry I'm late, Lady Meg," Jac said. "Vincent is secured at the palace. I came as fast as I could, but it looks like you didn't need any help." He looked at the man and gasped. "It can't be? Father…is that you?"

The man's eyes brightened in recognition. "Jac. How dare you choose to join Mor Ardain! Don't you remember all the suffering they've caused us? They killed your mother!"

"No, they didn't! Yes, Mor Ardain has been taking most of Gormott's exports to support their people, indirectly creating a food shortage in Gormott, that doesn't mean we should blame the empire for our losses. As soon as Mom died, you left us to fend for ourselves! I chose to become a Driver for the empire to support my siblings and coming here made me realize why Mor Ardain is so desperate for resources. So why, Father? Why did you leave us when we needed you the most?"

Alex hesitated before steeling his resolve. "I…I left to plot my revenge against Mor Ardain for the death of your mother. I cast my lot with Brionac since they were against the empire."

"And because of you, Senator Helena is dead!" Jac shouted, surprising the other Drivers with his outburst. "She had a child, Father. Thanks to you, another kid will have to grow up without a mother. Is that what you want, to rob children of their parents?! You've gone too far, Father. Enough is enough."

Alex was lost for words. Shockingly, he lowered his weapons before dropping them on the ground. "I… I've been a fool. I was so blinded by my anger that I ignored my own family. Flamebringer?"

"Yes?" Meg said curiously, putting her swords away.

"I surrender. Do what you will to me, but please help my children. They're all I have left."

Meg couldn't help but take the request on a personal level. "I cannot ignore the crimes you have committed against the empire… But I know what it is like to lose family."

"What are you saying, milady?" Jac asked nervously.

"Enough children have lost their parents from war already," Meg explained. "I will not allow any more children to suffer from it. Alex, I will make sure your punishment is as light as possible, then you can return to your family and start over."

Alex's eyes light up with gratitude. "Thank you, Flamebringer. I swear that I will not abuse this kindness."

Meg then narrowed her eyes. "I'll hold you to that. If I find out that this is a trick, you will be punished to the highest degree. Not many people get a second chance at life. Don't waste it."

"You have my word that this isn't a trick. I never lie when it comes to family."

Alex and his group were then taken into custody by the soldiers and escorted to prison, leaving Meg and Brighid alone with Jac and his Blade.

"Thank you, Lady Meg," Jac said. "Thank you for what you did for my father."

"Jac…" Meg said slowly.

"What is it?"

"Make sure to hold onto the people you care about for as long as you can," the Driver said. "You never know when one day they'll be torn away from you."

Jac, although confused with the request, promised to do so before he and his Blade hurried to rejoin the other soldiers.

As Meg and Brighid walked to the capital, Brighid said, "Quite the promise you made to that man. I'm surprised how much it shook you."

"Brighid, do you remember when I told you about my parents?"

The Fire Blade nodded. "Your parents joined the Allied Force when you were nine and sent you and your brother messages of their time fighting. And, that they stopped doing it five years ago."

"Correct. Frank and I don't know whether they're still alive or not. We haven't gotten a single word from the army about it. I just didn't want more kids to go through what we did."

"And here I thought you had a heart of stone," Brighid teased, to which she and Meg laughed at.

**The Next Day**

Emperor Niall ended up hosting a special ceremony to commemorate Meg single-handily (with Brighid of course) defeating members of Brionac and shutting down one of their hideouts. The ceremony was held in the throne room. Many nobles were there, as well as Jac, his Blade, and Luke. The ceremony was also being broadcasted live across the nation.

As soon as Meg and Brighid entered the room, all became silent. The duo walked slowly to the emperor, who was standing in front of the throne with Aegaeon, before kneeling on one knee.

"Meg Ladair, daughter of my lord Uncle Zane Ladair," Niall said with authority. "You have proven your strength and wisdom to the Ardainian Empire. You and Brighid single-handedly captured the Brionac members responsible for the death of the beloved Senator Helena and prevented future assassination attempts on our people. As a reward for your actions, I would like to make you Special Inquisitor, my right hand and most trusted vassal. Do you accept?"

"Yes," Meg said in respect. "I will gladly take the charge."

"Then rise, Special Inquisitor, and may you bring honor to the Ardainian Empire."

Meg and Brighid rose to their feet, prompting many cheers and applauds to be heard. There was a celebratory banquet that was held after the ceremony. Thanks to the tutoring Meg's teachers gave her, Meg was able to speak formally to anyone who talked to her. Nothing eventful happened during the banquet. After a few hours, the guests left the throne room, leaving Meg and Brighid alone with the emperor and his Blade.

"Did you enjoy the banquet?" Niall asked.

"Yes, though I am still a little hesitant in choosing to become your Special Inquisitor," Meg admitted. "I do not think I am worthy of the title."

Niall smiled. "That is where our opinions differ. I believe you are worthy of being my Special Inquisitor. I know that you view Earth as your home, and don't know when, or if, you will return, but why not make the most of your time here?"

Meg said nothing for a few minutes. "Yes, I believe you're right, Majesty," she said finally. "As you said, there's no telling when I will return to Earth, or if I would want to return. Even though I have only been here for a few days, I feel more alive here than my time on Earth. I'm glad I came to Alrest."

"I am too, dear cousin. I am too."

**To be continued**


	9. Chapter 9: Thunderbolt Jason

**Chapter 9- Thunderbolt Jason and Mika the Chaosbringer**

Jason wasn't pleased returning to his homeland. The Kingdom of Tantal had been founded inside the giant turtle Titan, Genbu, after the Aegis War, and has been an isolationist nation ever since then. He was also aware that his Blade, Pandoria, was able to control Genbu, as she was passed down through his family before being sealed away. His people, on the other hand, used an item called the Omega Fetter to control the Titan when Pandoria wasn't available. What separated Genbu among other Titans was that his ether flow (his lifeblood) was much lower than normal, almost like he was coldblooded. As a result, the Titan has a much colder climate, experiencing snow and failing crops. Genbu usually stays submerged under the Cloud Sea, only coming up when ships wished to dock.

As soon as Jason and Pandoria were dropped off, Jason bitterly said, "I can't believe I'm back here again."

Pandoria gave her Driver a confused look. "What's the matter, my Prince? I would've thought you'd be happy returning to your home after so long."

Jason shook his head. "Unfortunately, that's not the case. My father, King Eulogimenos, follows a very strict isolationist policy. He completely refuses to open up Tantal for trade and work with other nations despite the suffering our people are going through."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll understand once we arrive in Theosoir."

Jason and Pandoria left the harbor and entered the Titan, where they were greeted by a rush of cold air and snow. There were rock formations as far as the eye could see. Glittering particles of ether floated in the air, creating a beautiful shimmer of lights. As Jason and Pandoria trudged up the hill, they could see a cliff overlooking the land below.

"Watch your step," Jason warned. "It's a long way down from here."

"Noted," the Thunder Blade said as she looked over the edge of the cliff.

As they journeyed to Theosoir, they occasionally ran into monsters, but the duo was able to handle them. After an hour or so, Jason and Pandoria arrived at the front gate of Tantalese capital. Once they entered the city, Pandoria saw what Jason had meant about his people suffering. Only a handful of shops were open, while the rest were bordered down.

"Because of Genbu's colder climate, we can't grow crops of our own," Jason explained. "We've had to rely on the black market for food that's smuggled into the country. If my father wasn't such a stubborn mule, we could easily rectify this by opening our nation to outsiders. C'mon. I'm sure my father knows we're here. Let's get to the palace."

"Lead the way."

The palace wasn't hard to find since it was at the western most side of the city. Waiting in the front hall was a man in a black robe.

"Welcome back Prince Jason," the man said.

"Hello Fortis," Jason replied. "Miss me?"

"Yes. The king has been anxiously awaiting your return ever since you left."

Jason smirked. "Liar. Armus will fly before my dad's glad to see me. Is he in the throne room?"

"He is."

"Then best not to keep him waiting."

Jason and Pandoria followed Fortis to the throne room. Inside were soldiers dressed in white armor with spears lined up on both sides of the throne. King Eulogimenos sat on the throne.

"So you've finally decided to return?" the king said as he saw his son walk inside. "Have you finally realized that Tantal must remain isolated?"

"Like heck have I accepted Tantal's isolation!?" Jason exclaimed. "It's because of your stubborn arse that we've done nothing to end our people's suffering and actually live instead of just surviving."

"Still speaking like a commoner, I see," Eulogimenos said. "So why have you returned to Tantal?"

"I'm Pandoria's Driver now. I've come back only to further my Driver training. Once I'm done with that, I'll leave."

"So be it. Prepare a room for my son and his Blade. Jason, I expect you to give me a full explanation at dinner."

The Tantalese prince shrugged. "All right. Someone's got to tell you what's all going on outside of Tantal. Now if we're done, I'm out of here. Pandoria."

Jason turned and left the throne room, with Pandoria following him. They wandered around the castle before going out to a balcony overlooking the city.

"You and your dad don't really see eye-to-eye, do you?" Pandoria asked.

Jason folded his arms. "Nope. Not ever since I snuck out to Gormott when I was fourteen. I wanted to get to know what people were like in the other nations, but my dad disapproved it."

"What all are you going to tell him?"

"Good question. There's no upside in hiding anything from him, and besides, Dad's got spies in most of the nations, telling him everything. I guess I'll probably tell him what happened on Earth. There's no point in hiding it."

Pandoria shrugged. "If you say so."

A few hours later, Jason and Pandoria were eating with King Eulogimenos in the banquet hall. They had just finished telling the king what happened on Earth.

"So the Aegis has awakened," Eulogimenos said. "And you're sure that Malos has returned too?"

Jason nodded. "Yes Father," he replied. "Pandy and I fought him alongside our friends and won."

"Where is the Aegis now?" the king demanded.

"Beats me," Jason lied, not trusting his father with the Aegis's location. "I didn't exactly keep touch with her when I returned to Alrest."

Eulogimenos raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "So be it. What are you planning to do during your stay?"

"Probably go out hunting monsters and help out around the town. After that, I'll leave."

The Tantalese king took a sip of his drink. "Alright, but don't expect to be welcomed if you return to Tantal for a third time."

Jason clenched his fist in anger. "Fine."

**Five Days Later**

Jason and Pandoria were out in the southern region of Tantal. They were looking for a small turtle toy a child had lost when he ran away from a pack of Volffs (resembles wolves) while he was exploring. The Driver and Blade were nearing a bridge that led to a ruined fort on a spire.

"This should be the place," Jason said. "Pandoria, keep an eye out for any Volffs."

"You got it," the Lightning Blade replied.

Jason knelt by fallen stone pillar and started to dig in the snow. He was glad that he bought winter gloves in Theosoir, otherwise his fingers would've gone numb from the cold. Soon he felt something beneath the snow; he quickly pulled it out and saw that it was the turtle doll.

"Found it," Jason said triumphantly.

Suddenly howls could be heard in the distance.

"Drat," Pandoria said. "That sounds like a Volff pack, and they're heading this way."

Jason quickly examined his surroundings. He recalled that Volffs hunted in packs and had a nasty habit of calling for help. There were trees scattered sparsely around the area, a cliff on the right that goes all down to the lower level, a cliffside to his left, and a bridge leading to the ruined fort. There was no way out and no place to hide.

The Driver gritted his teeth as he realized that they only had one option. "Pandy, get ready for a fight," Jason said as he drew his sword.

Pandoria looked at him like he was crazy. "You want to fight a pack of Volffs on your own?!"

"We don't have a choice. Running to the fort isn't an option since monsters live there and we obviously can't jump off the cliff. Fighting is the only way out of here."

Pandoria still looked a bit hesitant. "Just be careful. Meg wouldn't forgive me if you die."

"I won't." More howls could be heard, this time much closer. "They're here."

As if on cue, a pack of Volffs came into sight, snarling at the Driver and Blade. The Volff in front charged at the Driver, who knocked it back by hitting his sword against the Volff's side. Another three Volffs ran at him, barring their fangs.

"Dynamic Sparksword!" Jason yelled as lightning emitted from his sword. He swung his sword at one Volff, knocking it over the cliff, then at the second Volff, electrocuting it to death, before using the Art's final attack to slam the third Volff into the ground. Before the beast could get up, Jason stabbed it through the back, killing it.

The first Volff that attacked tried lunging at the Driver's leg, but Pandoria blocked it with her defense barrier, allowing Jason to fire a bolt of lightning at the monster, knocking it back into the cliff side. A load snap could be heard as the Volff fell limply onto the snow.

The remaining six Volffs howled in anger before charging at the Driver all at once.

"Let's finish them all off in one attack!" Jason declared as he readied his sword.

"I was waiting for you to say that!" Pandoria smiled excitedly.

"Sonic Thunderslash!" Suddenly Jason's body was surrounded by lightning before he and Pandoria ran at the Volffs at supersonic speed, leaving a lightning bolt trail behind. Using that speed, Jason swung his sword at each of the Volffs, which in his perspective were standing still, before skidding to a halt behind the monsters with Pandoria. Almost a second later, the Volffs collapsed on the ground, dead.

"See," Jason said as he sheathed his sword. "I knew we would be alright."

Pandoria put her hands on her waist. "You've improved a lot in just a few days. Still, you need to concentrate more when you shoot lightning bolts. If you're not careful, you'll electrocute yourself. Remember the last time you weren't focused on channeling lightning through your sword?"

Jason cringed as he recalled them fighting a Griffox on the first day. He tried to end the fight immediately by charging the sword too quickly and lost his concentration, causing him to get shocked by his own attack. Luckily Pandoria managed to scare the monster away with her lightning attacks, but Jason had to spend the rest of the day recovering from his accident.

With the item secure, Jason and Pandoria returned to Theosoir. The child was ecstatic when Jason handed his toy back to him.

"Thank you, Prince Jason!" the boy said happily.

Jason smiled. "My pleasure. Next time, will you stay inside the city walls? It's not safe to go outside on your own."

"I promise. I learned my lesson now." The boy then ran off to his friends, leaving a satisfied prince and Blade.

"So what should we do now?" Pandoria asked.

Jason thought for a moment before answering, "I think it's time we leave Tantal. We've learned all we can here."

"If you say so, my Prince, but where should we go?"

"Maybe we should head for Uraya and find Mika and Kasandra. Architect knows how much trouble they'll get in by themselves."

Pandoria nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Should we tell your father this or not?"

"Nah, he'll probably try to force me to stay or something. Let's just head to the harbor and charter a ship to Uraya."

The duo began heading to the harbor, located outside Genbu, which was now above the clouds. As luck would have it, at the harbor was an Urayan ship. Jason saw the captain speaking to one of the dockhands and approached him.

"Excuse me, sir," Jason said. "Would you mind taking me and my Blade to Uraya? I have some business there."

"I could, but don't expect a free ride," the captain replied. "Either pay me in gold or service. Your choice."

Jason pulled out a small pouch containing five hundred gold. "Will this suffice?"

The captain examined the gold and saw that they were genuine. "This is enough. We leave in five minutes. Make sure you're on board before we set sail."

"I will," Jason said as the captain returned to his ship.

"Jason," a familiar voice called out.

The Tantalese prince muttered a curse under his breath as he turned and saw his father behind him with a handful of guards. "Hello, Father. Fancy seeing you here. What are the odds of that?" Sarcasm filled Jason's voice.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Eulogimenos questioned coldly.

"I am, and I won't let you stop me," Jason said. "Alrest is in danger and you won't lift a finger to do something about it. If you're not going to take action, then I will!"

"We must protect the peace we Tantalese have had for five hundred years."

"You call this peace?!" Jason shouted in outrage. "What kind of peace requires a black market and isolation? You're the same as ever, Father. We're out of here." Jason and Pandoria proceeded to the ship.

"Jason, if you step foot on that ship, you will no longer be my son!" Eulogimenos warned.

"Whatever," Jason said, not really caring, as he and his Blade boarded the ship.

Eulogimenos could only watch as the ship carried his son away from the Titan.

"My king, is it really alright to let the prince go like this?" one of the knights asked.

The king nodded. "Whether he wants to or not, Jason will return to Tantal, but with the Aegis next time. When he does, we must be ready. How goes the restoration of the ether accelerator?"

"They say it'll be usable in a year's time."

"Good. I have a feeling that we will need it in due time."

**Meanwhile**

The Ardainian airship was under attack by Zeke. The masked swordsman proceeded down to where the Core Crystals were being kept. Many Ardainian soldiers tried to stop him, but he killed them all with impossible speed. Soon, Zeke found the room where the Core Crystals were being held, however the way was blocked by half a dozen Drivers with Blades.

Two of the Drivers charged at the swordsman, but Zeke ran at impossible speed towards the door, killing all the Drivers in the process and returning the Blades to Core Crystals. With all the distractions gone, Zeke entered the room and saw all the Core Crystals in cabinets.

**Two Weeks Later**

After a long voyage, and a few stops at the other nations, Jason and Pandoria finally arrived in Fonsa Myrma, capital of Uraya.

"Finally!" Pandoria said in relief. "I thought that trip would never end. That ship was way too crammed for my liking."

"You're just saying that because you locked yourself in the cabin to avoid the crew."

"You would too if they gave you lustful looks!"

Jason sighed in defeat. "Let's just find Mika and Kasandra. Now where could they be?"

"Easy, just follow the trail of misfortune," Pandoria said jokingly, to which they both laughed.

Jason and Pandoria walked up two flights of stairs and entered the commercial district of the city. Like Tantal, the Kingdom of Uraya was inside their Titan since it tended to submerge itself inside the Cloud Sea. Not having much to go on, they asked around about a Blade with a fox-shaped mask. Eventually, they learned of a Blade that had such a mask that was working at a theater. Although confused, Jason and Pandoria quickly found the theater, which was doing a play at the moment. The play was about a legendary hero and priestess who defeated the Master of Darkness. What was shocking to the duo was that the person playing the priestess was none other than Kasandra.

"What the!?" Pandoria nearly shouted, though it was largely muffled as Jason covered her mouth with his hand.

"This is strange," the Driver said. "Why is Kasandra in a play? And where the heck is Mika?"

As if on cue, Mika appeared in front of the stage, acting as a narrator. "Just as the Shadow King prepared to deliver the final blow on the Twilight Hero, the Dawn Priestess transferred her power to him, restoring his strength."

"Take my power and use it to defeat the Darkness," Kasandra said reaching a hand to the other actor, who was kneeling on the ground.

The hero took the Blade's hand and rose to his feet, a spotlight shone on him. "I am restored!" He pointed his prop sword at the third actor. "With the combined power of Light, I banish you from this world, Shadow King!" He swung his sword at the actor, who promptly collapsed to the floor.

"I…will…return!" the third actor declared. "As long as Light exists… so too does… the Shadow."

"With their combined might, the hero and the priestess defeated the Shadow King," Mika said theatrically. "However, they were warned that the Darkness would return to Alrest and plunge it to ruin. Using what remained of their power, the hero and priestess sacrificed themselves in order to be reincarnated whenever the Shadow threatened to return. So ends the Tale of Light and Shadow!"

All the actors took a bow as the audience applauded. After the theater room was clear, Jason and Pandoria walked over to Mika and Kasandra.

"Fancy seeing you here," Jason said.

Mika gasped when he saw the Tantalese prince and his Blade. "Jason? Pandoria? What are you guys doing here?"

"My prince chose to leave Tantal and come here to keep you out of trouble," Pandoria replied. "Why are you and Kasandra working in a theater?"

Mika scratched his head. "We came here to see a play about the Aegis War, but thanks to my bad luck, they thought I was a stagehand and I had to work for three whole shows. Eventually it got cleared up, but we got offered real jobs as compensation. We needed money for food, so Kasandra and I accepted."

"It wasn't all that bad," Kasandra added. "I kept getting the lead role for every show and you got to narrate all the stories. We also sometimes get to do some mercenary work for extra gold. Hey Jason, are the others with you? We haven't seen them in forever."

The prince shook his head. "Sadly, we're the only ones here," Jason replied. "Have either of you heard anything from them? Pandoria and I have been stuck on a ship for two weeks, so we wouldn't have learned anything about them."

Mika paused for a moment. "Well, Meg became the Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain after being there for only two days. She and Brighid have since been traveling around Alrest arresting corrupt Ardainian nobles, fighting monsters, et cetera. Ethan quickly became a top salvager in Argentum before moving to Gormott to help Sonum with something. I don't know what it is though. As for Frank, I've got nothing. Klaus really went out of his way to make sure that Frank and Mythra weren't found. But I have heard rumors spreading that the Aegis has returned to Alrest."

"I guess we should've talked about when and where we should have revealed Mythra before we split up. Too late now."

"Yeah," Mika said in agreement.

"Mika!" a voice called out. The group turned and saw a man in a brown cloak. He looked very old. Beside him was a young girl, no more than twelve, with light blue hair.

"Hey Mr. Cole," Mika said casually. "I'm just chatting with an old friend. We haven't seen each other in weeks."

"Ah," Cole said as he eyed Jason and Pandoria. "You must be some of those friends Mika keeps talking about. My name is Cole. I run this theater. This is my ward, Iona."

"A pleasure to meet you," Iona added.

"I'm Jason, and this is my Blade, Pandoria. We've come to help keep Mika out of trouble."

"I can take care of myself!" Mika protested, causing everyone else to laugh.

Cole then let out a sickly cough before speaking. "By the way. Mika, I've got a job for you and Kasandra."

"What is it?" Kasandra asked.

"There's a strange ether disturbance at the Titan's blowhole. Can you go investigate what it is?"

Mika nodded. "Of course. We're on it. Jason, want to come?"

"Sure, someone's got make sure you don't fall down a cliff and land in an Arachno web," Jason said with a playful smirk.

"Hey!?" Mika shouted as everyone else laughed.

**Later**

Jason, Pandoria, Mika and Kasandra were in the Titan's head, coming close to the blowhole. Both Jason and Pandoria were exhausted. Mika's bad luck had struck yet again during the trip. First, they walked right into an Igna (human-lizard hybrid creatures) ambush, then after that they got attacked by a pair of hungry Lexos, then as if it couldn't get any worse, they were nearly crushed by falling rocks while also being chased by a pack of Volffs.

"I swear Mika… You'll be…the death of us," Jason said while gasping for air.

"You…seriously need to fix that luck issue," Pandoria added. "It's not safe for our health."

Mika raised his hands defensively. "I try but nothing works. Usually Frank's around to bail me out before the bad luck kicks in, but he isn't this time. Speaking of which, I wonder what he's doing right now."

**Meanwhile**

Frank was sitting on a hill in Fonsett Village chatting with Jin and Mythra about the Aegis War when he suddenly sneezed.

"You alright?" Jin asked in concern.

Frank nodded his head. "Yeah, I just have the feeling that someone's talking about me. For some reason it's making me think about Mika."

"Isn't he the one with the really bad luck?" Mythra asked curiously.

"That's him. Usually I'm able to stop it before anything happens but since Mika's on another Titan, who knows how much trouble he'll get in." Frank then shrugged before lying on the ground, holding his head with his arms. "Oh, well. I can't always be there to protect him. This is a good way for him to learn how to deal with it on his own. Besides, he's got Kasandra backing him up. I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"You sure have a lot of faith in him," Jin commented.

"Of course, I do. He's my best friend. Heck, he's the first friend I ever made in Alrest City. Jarrod was bullying him, and I interfered. I just couldn't stand by and let it happen. I've been looking out for Mika ever since, just as he's done for me. Anyway, where were we again?"

Mythra paused for a moment before remembering where they left off. "So Addam and I sparred against Lora and her Blade, Haze. Haze has the ability to incapacitate Blades and Titans, making her useful for training. Heck, she was able to stop me from using Foresight, making the fights with her pretty difficult."

Frank chuckled as he sat up. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd admit that."

Mythra angrily punched him in the shoulder. "Jerk," she chided while Jin chuckled in amusement.

**Meanwhile**

Jason and the others arrived at the top of the blowhole. There they saw a dead fish-shaped Titan near a rock wall. It had grievous wounds all around it.

"Looks like we found our ether disturbance," Pandoria said.

"What could have caused this?" Mika asked.

As if on cue, a large Arachno appeared. What surprised the group was that it was accompanied by a Blade.

"You had to say that," Jason said sarcastically as they drew their weapons. "Looks like we found the culprit behind the Titan's death. Mika, keep that thing distracted. I'll attack from the side."

Mika nodded. "Got it."

Mika charged at the Arachno, using his hammer to keep its fangs back. Meanwhile, Jason ran to the monster's right flank and swung his sword, only for it to be deflected by a Blade defense barrier.

Jason gritted his teeth in frustration as he ran back to his teammate. "I knew it. This monster is in resonance with that Blade!" His eyes widened as he saw the enemy Blade summon a lance and prepared to attack. "Watch out!"

The Blade fired an orange laser beam at the group from his chest. Thankfully Pandoria and Kasandra activated their defense barriers in time to protect their Drivers, but the impact knocked the group back.

"Mika, how experienced are you with your Arts?" Jason asked hastily.

Mika gave the Driver a strange look. "Really? You're asking me that now?!"

"Just answer the question!"

"I mastered my Arts a couple days ago. You see, we were surrounded by Brogs (giant toads)…"

"Does one of your Arts topple enemies?!" Jason shouted impatiently.

"Yes. I've got a Topple Art, but why would…" Mika's eyes widened as he caught on. "Oh, I get it now. You want to do a Driver Combo. Topple the enemy, then launch them into the air, before smashing them into the ground."

Jason nodded. "If you can topple the Arachno, I can launch it into the air with one of my Arts. Please tell me one of your Arts smashes enemies, because none of mine do?"

"I wield a hammer, of course I've got a Smash Art."

"Good. Once I launch it, activate that Art while Pandoria and I use a Blade Special. If we time it right, we should be able to inflict massive damage to the enemy."

Kasandra smirked. "A Fusion Combo. Nice. Ready Mika?"

Mika tightened his grip on his hammer. "You bet."

The Driver charged at the Arachno once more. The Arachno swung one of its legs at Mika, but he rolled out of the way. Darkness emanated out of his hammer as Mika held it up. "Bringer of Chaos, Ultimate Shadow Smash, Max!" Mika jumped in the air before smashing his hammer against the monster's head, knocking it off its feet.

Jason immediately charged at the monster from the side, lightning sparking out of his sword. "Stratospheric Thunder!" he shouted as he swung his sword at the Arachno's underbelly, sending it flying into the air.

Mika immediately jumped into the air, his hammer raised. "Vasjra Blow!" Mika struck his hammer against the monster, sending it back to the ground. At the same time, Jason tossed his sword to Pandoria, who subsequently pulled a rod from it and shouted, "Lightning Force!" Pandoria fired a bolt of lightning from her rod, electrocuting the Arachno.

The Arachno crashed to the ground, and laid there unmoving. However, it slowly stood back up, much to Jason's shock.

"How?" he said in disbelief, but Mika was unfazed.

"Just stay down!" Mika shouted as he charged. He swung his hammer at the monster's head before tossing the weapon to his Blade.

Kasandra caught the hammer with one hand while also putting on her mask. "Secret Desire!" the Dark Blade shouted as she fired a blast of dark ether energy, which exploded when it came into contact with the Arachno. Kasandra then removed her mask and returned Mika's hammer to him.

The Arachno screeched before it died. The Blade then collapsed before returning to its core.

"The Blade…turned into a Core Crystal," Mika said.

"Remember what Klaus said," Jason replied as he picked up the Core Crystal. "When a Blade dies or loses its Driver, it returns to its core. After a while, the crystal will start glowing again, and then a new Driver can resonate with it."

Mika's eyes widened as the memory came back to him. "Oh yeah. I remember now. Klaus also said that Blades lose their memories when they return to their cores too. It's kind of sad."

"Here." Jason tossed the Core Crystal to Mika, who subsequently caught it with both hands.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"You're the one who landed the final blow, so it's only right for you to awaken that Blade."

"Are you sure?"

Jason nodded. "Of course. Anyway, let's get this over with." Jason walked over to the dead Titan, which was slowly dissolving into blue ether. After a few minutes, he returned to the group and showed them another Core Crystal.

"What? Another Core Crystal?" Mika said in disbelief.

"Core Crystals come from Titans," Jason explained. "The Blade inside this one will probably resonate with a bunch of Drivers. Every time the Driver dies, the Blade returns to its core and forgets everything. Drivers dying. Titans dying. The Blade just keeps living through it all. It's an endless cycle. As mortals, we'll never understand it." The Titan then fully disappeared in blue light.

The group returned to Fonsa Myrma and explained what happened to the knight captain that told Cole about the job. After they were finished, the captain gave the duo their payment.

"So what are you gonna do now?" Mika asked his friend.

"No clue," Jason said. "Maybe I'll travel around Alrest, helping people out as I meet them."

"Mind if we tag along?" Kasandra said.

"Don't you guys have to work at the theater?" Pandoria questioned.

"Not anymore. We resigned so we could travel again," Mika explained. "So can we come with you, _Thunderbolt_ Jason?"

Jason gave a light smile. "Cool nickname, I like it. Okay, sure. Why not, Mika the _Chaosbringer_."

Mika's eyes lit up. "Awesome! I love that nickname. It sounds epic."

The group then set out, going where they felt to be needed.

**To be continued**


	10. Chapter 10: Unexpected Reunion

**Chapter 10- Unexpected Reunion**

It has been a week since Ethan and Poppi arrived in Argentum. Argentum was basically a large ship that was used as a port, with their Titan being smaller than the other nations. It was run by the Argentum Trade Guild, its members mostly consisting of Nopon, but had humans as well. Ethan was immediately drawn to salvaging since it allowed him to find parts he could use to upgrade Poppi. The Chairman of the Guild, Bana, was quite interested in Poppi since she was an artificial Blade, and offered a large sum of gold for her, to which Ethan refused.

Ethan and Poppi made an excellent team when it came to salvaging. Poppi would find the perfect places to dive, while Ethan would go down and retrieve the items. There were also the occasional monsters that attacked them while salvaging, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle.

That night, while Ethan was doing a daily check-up on Poppi in their room at the inn, a Nopon came in and handed him a letter before departing.

As he read the letter, Poppi asked, "What is it?"

"It's Sonum. She needs help. Apparently, some monsters have been attacking travelers and they're too strong for her and Dromarch to deal with on their own."

Knowing what her Driver was thinking, Poppi said, "When do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow. It's a shame we have to leave Argentum so soon. We made a lot of money through salvaging and got some pretty good stuff too."

"You're so greedy, Ethan," Poppi said with a giggle.

Ethan scratched his head in embarrassment. "It doesn't hurt having a little spending money. Anyway, all your systems are working perfectly. Although your ether furnace still hasn't full ignited. I wish I could figure out how to ignite it. If it was, you'd be able to produce your own ether energy."

Poppi shrugged. "I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually. Let's call it a night. You'll need a lot of rest for what's ahead."

"You're right. Good night, Poppi."

"Good night, Ethan."

Ethan went to bed before falling asleep. Poppi, on the other hand, shut down. The next day they boarded a ship heading for Torigoth, capital of Gormott. The voyage lasted for two days before Ethan could spot the city. Torigoth was built near and in a cliff, with half the city on solid ground, and the rest being on the side of the cliff. Waiting by the docks was a familiar girl with a white tiger-like Blade.

"Hey Sonum," Ethan greeted as he and Poppi got off the ship. "Hey Dromarch."

"You got my message, that's good," the female Driver said. "Follow me. I've got a place where we can chat."

The group went into a passage inside the cliff and came across a wooden door. Inside was a simple house-like structure with a view of the Cloud Sea below. There was even a small lab.

"Nice pad you've got," Ethan said. "How'd you get it?"

"Sir Klaus showed us this place after he dropped you and Lady Poppi off in Argentum," Dromarch explained. "Apparently he and his followers built it during their search for me and the other Blades. My lady and I have been using it as a base of operations during our stay in Gormott."

"We're grateful Klaus did bring us here," Sonum added. "It gave us a roof over our heads and saved us from having to pay rent at an inn." She smiled. "It's good to you both again, too. I hear you two have made quite the salvaging team."

Ethan scratched his head in embarrassment while Poppi beamed with pride. "Well, I'm sure everyone else has been working hard to improve in their own way. Mine is finding materials to upgrade Poppi with."

"I see. I bet Meg is super busy. Have you heard that she's now the Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain?"

"We did," Poppi replied. "I knew Meg was talented as a Driver, but I didn't expect her to become Emperor Niall's right hand on her second day here. She really set the standard for the rest of us."

Sonum nodded in agreement. "There's been no word about Jason, though that's to be expected since Tantal is an isolationist country. Honestly, I'm surprised we haven't heard about a certain unlucky Driver with glasses making a mess of everything in Uraya."

Ethan smirked. "There's a first time for everything. Though maybe Frank's just lurking in the sidelines, making sure Mika stays out of trouble. We all know that it's because of Frank that Mika's avoided some very unlucky situations on Earth."

Everyone laughed at the comment.

"Speaking of Frank, I've been hearing rumors spreading that the Aegis has returned," Sonum brought up. "No one has given a confirmed location on it yet, but I doubt it'll remain that way for long. You don't think Frank and Mythra left the Archipelago, do you?"

"Nah." Ethan shook his head. "If they did, these rumors would have been confirmed long ago. Any idea who's spreading these rumors?"

"Apparently it all started with an esteemed Nopon merchant," Dromarch answered.

"An esteemed Nopon merchant?" Ethan had a hunch on who the merchant was but chose to keep it to himself for the time being. "Anyway, let's get to the reason you called us here. Can you fill us in on the details?"

"Traders from the other nations come in to Torigoth to sell their goods," Sonum explained. "Those goods are then split to either be kept in the city or put on caravans to be transported to the smaller villages near the outskirts of Gormott. Recently Tirkin have been attacking the caravans, stopping the transports and stealing the supplies in them. Five days ago, Dromarch and I got hired to protect one of the caravans." Her eyes flashed in anger. "We were outnumbered and forced to retreat. Since then, no caravan has left Torigoth for fear of their own safety."

"Do you have a plan do deal with this?" Poppi asked.

"I overheard one of the Ardainian soldiers talking about them having requested help from the motherland, but they don't know when that help will arrive. If you're wondering why the soldiers aren't trying to deal with the Tirkin themselves, it's because the consul is too cowardly to let them leave the city."

"Consul Dughall?" Ethan guessed, getting a nod in response. "I hear he's on borrowed time since the emperor is planning on removing him from his position. So what's the plan?"

"Dromarch and I have spent the last couple days scouting the Tirkin camp. It's got trees and boulders shielding it from view, but its is very close to the ambush area. They've got a lookout perch with two sentries keeping watch, the rest focus on protecting their spoils. I was thinking about launching a sneak attack at night and retrieve the stolen goods, the only problem was that we need help to pull it off."

Ethan took a moment to process what he heard. "So basically, you want to sneak in, fight the Tirkin, then reclaim the goods they stole?" The female Driver nodded. "I don't know, this sounds risky. Are you sure that the four of us can do it?"

"The longer we wait, the more those villages suffer!" Sonum protested fiercely. "We have to act now! Tonight!"

Everyone else was surprised by her outburst. Not wanting to argue with her any further, Ethan and Poppi agreed to help. Unbeknownst to the group, a figure with blue hair stood just outside and overheard the conversation.

"Sounds like Sonum and the others are in over their heads," the figure said to herself. "I need to let _her_ know right away." The figure then quietly walked away.

**Later**

Consul Dughall was currently having another rage fit about his humiliation at the banquet, despite it being weeks since then. He was inside his office at the northern part of Torigoth.

"How dare that girl make a mockery of me?!" he shouted. "I am superior to her in every way, yet she refuses to tell me the Aegis's location! I swear, the Aegis will be mine, even if I have to pry it from its Driver's cold, dead hands." Suddenly an Ardainian soldier ran inside. "What is it?! I asked not to be disturbed!"

"Sorry sir," the soldier said. "Special Inquisitor Meg has arrived from the motherland."

Dughall inwardly panicked. "Already?!"

"Her ship has just docked at the base, sir."

Dughall immediately rushed to the military base next to Torigoth. While he didn't like the Special Inquisitor, he knew it was foolish to keep the most powerful Driver in the empire waiting. He managed to arrive at the dock with a handful of soldiers just as Meg was walking down towards him.

"Special Inquisitor Meg," Dughall greeted with a fake smile. "You came earlier than expected. If you had let us known ahead of time, we would have prepared a feast in your honor."

Meg's Driver outfit hadn't changed, but she had cut her hair down to her shoulders. The Special Inquisitor folded her arms and said, "I don't stand on ceremony, Dughall. I'd rather you just do your job."

Dughall inwardly cringed. "But you are His Majesty's representative. Please, let us treat you as such."

"That won't be necessary," said a familiar voice. Brighid then appeared and approached her Driver. "You made good time. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

"If what you said is true, then the situation is bigger than just a simple robbery. However, I fear our rush has taken its toll on our engines."

"R-robbery," Dughall stuttered. "Lady Meg, there's no need for you to deal with petty thieves. You're busy enough as-"

"I don't recall asking your opinion, Dughall," Meg interrupted with a glare, causing the consul to quiver in fear. The Flamebringer then faced her partner. "What have you found?"

"As you requested, I scouted the campsite and…"

**That Night**

Ethan and the others were near the Tirkin camp. They hid behind a tree as they observed the camp. True to Sonum's word, two Tirkin were on a lookout post, keeping watch. There were also a dozen Tirkin patrolling the camp. At the back of the camp were large crates, which Ethan assumed to be the stolen supplies, which were guarded by another dozen Tirkin.

"There are more Tirkin than you said there were, Sonum," Ethan said.

Sonum was just as confused. "I don't get it. There weren't this many Tirkin last night. How could they have increased their numbers so suddenly?"

"Perhaps we should pull back, milady," Dromarch suggested. "There are far too many for us to take on alone."

"No," she said stubbornly. "We can't quit because of their reinforcements. Hundreds of people are depending on us to get back those supplies."

"Are you crazy?!" Ethan said quietly. "We're completely outnumbered. If only Frank and Mythra were here, they could take them all out with that Sacred Arrow attack of theirs."

"But they're not! We'll just have to get by on our own," Sonum replied as she drew her twin rings. "Are you with me or not?"

Ethan sighed in defeat. "Yes, against my better judgement. Let's just hope you don't get us all killed."

The group charged into the camp and killed the closest two Tirkin they saw. One of the sentry Tirkin blew a horn, alerting the others that they were under attack. Half the patrolling Tirkin charged at the Drivers with their spears, while the rest readied their bows. Ethan managed to slice one Tirkin in half with his saber, but an arrow lodged itself in a groove of his shoulder armor. Ethan ignored the pain as he pulled out the arrow and swung his saber at two Tirkin, forcing them back. However, they soon ganged up on him with two others.

"Wild Roar!" Dromarch shouted as he let out a beastly roar towards the four Tirkin, distracting them long enough for Poppi to get to her Driver.

Poppi quickly grabbed the saber and shouted, "Poppi Unlimited!" Spark-like wings sprouted from the artificial Blade's back as she flew towards the four Tirkin and cut them to ribbons with her saber before returning it to her Driver.

Sonum quickly used Healing Halo to heal Ethan's shoulder, allowing him to rejoin the fight. However, the group was soon surrounded by Tirkin. Sonum and Ethan tried desperately to keep the melee Tirkin back, while Dromarch and Poppi used their defense barriers to protect their Drivers from any arrows.

"We're not gonna win this," Ethan said as he blocked a Tirkin's spear with his saber. "There's too many of them."

Sonum struck her twin rings against another Tirkin's chest, killing it. "Keep fighting. We can do this."

Suddenly a load roar could be heard in the distance. Both the group and the Tirkin halted as load footsteps drew near the camp.

"What was that?" Poppi said nervously.

"Whatever it is, it's coming this way," Dromarch replied.

The group watched in horror as a large red-eyed blue demonic monster that had a purple cobra as a tail entered the camp. It had a huge one-edged sword in its right hand.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Ethan exclaimed in shock.

Rather than run in fear, the Tirkin kneeled before the demon.

"It appears to be their leader," Poppi said. "It might be best for us to retreat. That creature appears to be far stronger than we can handle."

Sonum gritted her teeth in anger. "But we can't just run away…"

"My lady, open your eyes!" Dromarch begged. "We are outmatched! There is no shame in retreating!"

The female Driver let out a heavy breath. "Alright, let's get out of here."

The group prepared to retreat, when suddenly the demon said, "Stop them." The Tirkin quickly stood up and surrounded the Drivers and Blades.

"Crud," Ethan said as the group readied for a fight. "It can talk too?!"

"Yes, I can talk. I am Gleam Eyes, commander of the Shadow Army."

Sonum glared at the demon. "Are you the leader of these Tirkin? Why have you been raiding caravans for supplies?"

"I have no need for such items," Gleam Eyes replied. "I merely bent these lowly creatures to my will to lure in the ones my master seeks."

"What are you talking about?" Ethan asked.

"Surely you mortals are aware of the War of Light and Shadow? My master was sealed away by a pathetic hero just as he was about to cover the world in darkness. In order to break the seal binding my master, I must offer up the two souls that imprisoned him, the Twilight Hero and the Dawn Priestess. Once my master is free, nothing will stop him from conquering this pathetic world."

The Drivers and Blades looked confused, less so for Dromarch since he studied ancient history in his spare time.

"Okay," Ethan said slowly. "Good luck with that. My friends and I should be leaving now. See ya!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Gleam Eyes boomed. "I can sense that you have met with the hero and priestess. Tell me where they are, and I might let you live."

Sonum desperately tried to hide her fear. "We don't know who the heck you're talking about! And even if we did, we wouldn't tell you!" she retorted.

Gleam Eyes snorted out flames. "Then it seems there's no point keeping you alive. Kill them all!"

The Tirkin let out a battle cry when suddenly a wall of blue flames forced them away from the group.

Ethan's eyes flashed in recognition as he said, "These flames… Can it be?"

The group turned and saw Meg and Brighid approach them from behind.

"Honestly," the Flamebringer chided the group. "Why am I always the one who has to save you guys when you're in trouble?"

"Meg!" The Drivers cried out in relief.

"Thank you for your help, Lady Meg and Lady Brighid," Dromarch said.

Gleam Eyes growled in frustration. "Flamebringer… So you have returned as well."

Meg raised an eyebrow as she dissipated her flames. "Apologies, but I believe this is the first time we've met, demon." The Special Inquisitor's eyes widened as she recalled a hazy memory. "Wait, I remember now. You were one of the monsters that reduced my home on Earth to rubble. My father fought you himself and forced you to retreat."

"Correct, but our past together goes back much deeper than that."

"What are you talking about?" Meg demanded. "Explain yourself!"

The demon laughed. "I was hoping to capture the hero and priestess, but I'll gladly take you instead, Flamebringer. With you out of the way, getting to them will be much easier."

Despite being threatened, Meg kept a calm demeanor. "I won't fall so easily! Ethan, Sonum, can you still fight?" Both Drivers gave her a nod. "Good. First we will deal with the Tirkin, then we'll take down their leader."

Not wanting to argue with the Flamebringer, the others agreed and readied for battle. Meg made the first move by swinging her right sword, which extended into a whip, towards three Tirkin, knocking them back before Ethan finished them off by firing a laser beam from his saber. A majority of the Tirkin focused their attention on the Flamebringer, with only a few attacking the other Drivers.

Despite being outnumbered, Meg held her ground, blocking a majority of attacks with her swords or Brighid's defense barrier. Any injuries the Flamebringer did receive were quickly healed by Sonum.

"Soaring Tempest!" Ethan shouted as he spun in a circle, striking the two Tirkin that were on either side of him, with the one behind him being killed. "Vorpal Slash!" Ethan then did an upward slash towards the Tirkin in front of him, killing it. In the corner of his eye, he saw Poppi protect him from a couple stray arrows with her defense barrier.

Sonum wasn't being as offensive as before, mostly because she was too busy trying to keep Meg alive with her Healing Arts. The Special Inquisitor just kept drawing enemies, minus Gleam Eyes, to attack her, and while Meg was holding her own with Brighid, even she couldn't avoid taking a couple hits here and there. Sonum spent most of her time using Healing Halo to heal any injuries Meg and Ethan sustained, and only attacked whenever she saw an opening.

Eventually, Meg and Brighid decided to use Soulfire to wipe out most of the Tirkin, while being backed up by Ethan and Poppi's Quantum Judgement. When they were done, only a handful of Tirkin were left.

Sonum quickly got on Dromarch's back. "We'll take care of them."

Meg gave her friend a nod.

"Ready, Dromarch?"

"I am at your service, my lady."

"Dark Maelstrom!" Sonum and Dromarch shouted before the Blade roared through the rings, sending a blast of blue energy hurtling towards the Tirkin, instantly killing them.

Despite witnessing his minions all be slain, Gleam Eyes showed no fear. "How annoying. Those maggots were weaker than I thought."

"Now it's your turn to fall!" Meg declared as she and Ethan charged at the demon.

Gleam Eyes swung his massive sword at the ground in front of him, forcing the Drivers to jump back. He then breathed out a stream of purple fire at Ethan, but Poppi was able to protect him with her defense barrier, however they were both knocked back in the process. Meg took the opportunity to launch a blast of blue fire from her swords at the demon, burning its left arm.

"You'll pay for that!" Gleam Eyes proclaimed.

"We'll see!" Meg answered as Poppi fired a laser from her saber, hitting the demon in the stomach.

Gleam Eyes growled in rage as he slammed his sword into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave that knocked the Drivers and Blades off their feet.

"I will not lose to mortals!?" the demon exclaimed as he raised his sword, preparing to finish off the Flamebringer.

'_Frank…Brother… I need you,_' Meg thought as she braced for the end.

**Meanwhile**

A mysterious blue light shone in the forest near the Tirkin camp. When the light died down, it revealed a teenage boy (around eighteen) with black hair, blue eyes and pointed ears. He wore a black overcoat with gold trimming, black fingerless gloves, pants, and boots. Strapped to his back in black sheathes were twin swords, one black and one gold. They were both longswords with a wing-shaped guard that faced the pommel. The black sword had an onyx gem embedded into the hilt while the gold sword had an emerald in the same place. The swords were called Lunara and Solaris respectively. It was none other than Marth, the Dark Swordsman, one of the heroes of Sword Art Online.

Marth examined his surroundings and was completely confused. "Where the heck am I? This isn't where I logged off." He did a movement with his left hand, but nothing happened. He repeated the motion three more times but got the same result.

"Great," Marth cursed under his breath. "How the heck am I going to contact Kirito and the others, or even access the map so I can see where I am?" Suddenly he heard the sounds of a battle to his right. "Huh? What's going on over there?"

The Dark Swordsman followed the sounds and saw the Drivers and Blades battling against an enemy all too familiar to him.

"Gleam Eyes!?" Marth said in shock. "That's the Floor 74 boss from SAO. What the heck is it doing here?" He then watched as the boss monster used a shockwave to knock the Drivers and Blades off their feet.

"I will not lose to mortals!" Gleam Eyes declared as he prepared to finish off one of the Drivers, one who looked strangely familiar to the swordsman.

The dual-wielder gritted his teeth. "I don't think so," Marth said before drawing his swords and charged at the demon.

**Meanwhile**

Meg closed her eyes as she waited for the attack, but it never came. Instead, Meg heard a loud clash, prompting her to open her eyes and see a duel-wielding swordsman dressed in black before her, blocking the attack with a cross-block.

Marth glanced over his shoulder and said, "Are you all right?"

Meg slowly nodded. "Yes. Thank you..." Suddenly her eyes widened as she recognized who it was. "Frank! Is that you? What's with that black coat?"

The Dark Swordsman forced Gleam Eyes away and turned to face the Flamebringer in confusion. "How do you know my name? Wait, hold on… Meg?! Where'd you get that outfit? Are those new swords? Did you change your equipment and not tell me?"

The Drivers and Blades all rose to their feet, staring questionably at Marth.

"You mean you don't recognize Lady Meg's Driver armor and Blade weapons?" Brighid asked.

Marth looked confused. "Huh? What the heck are you talking about? Who are you and why did you just address my sister as 'Lady Meg'?"

Now the group were even more confused. Unfortunately, they didn't have time for any more questions as Gleam Eyes roared in anger.

"Excuse me!" the demon shouted. "We're in the middle of a fight! Butt out, outsider!"

Marth turned to face the demon. "Well _excuse _me for trying to figure out what the heck's going on here!? If you want a fight so bad, I'll give you one!" He took on a fighting stance with his twin swords. "I've beaten you once before with Kirito on Floor 74, but this time I don't need him."

"Something's up with Frank?" Ethan whispered to his friends. "He's acting really weird. And who the heck is Kirito?"

Poppi nodded in agreement. "Yes. Something is very different about him. His outfit, those swords of his, not to mention that Mythra isn't here. What should we do?"

"We finish this fight, then get this sorted out," Meg said. "Ethan, you…"

"You with the saber!" Marth exclaimed with authority. "Attack the boss from the right! Meg, you and the other girl with the rings will go left! I'll attack from the front. The rest of you…do whatever you do best."

"Yep, definitely different," Sonum said in annoyance. "He didn't even say our names. Talk about rude."

Marth simply shrugged. "Sorry, but I can't say your names if I don't even know them."

"How do you not…"

"There's no time for that!" Marth interrupted. "Just do what I say."

The group reluctantly agreed to follow the Spriggan's instructions, though his tone strangely reminded them of a certain blonde Aegis. Ethan ran at the demon's right while Meg and Sonum went left, their Blades supporting them. Marth charged at Gleam Eyes directly, blocking the demon's attacks with ease. As the others attacked the boss's flank, Marth swung his twin swords at its legs, making deep cuts in them. Gleam Eyes then roared in rage as he swung his sword downward at the dual-wielder, only for the dual-wielder to deflect it with some effort.

'_Here goes,_' the Spriggan thought before saying, "Starburst Stream!"

Lunara and Solaris began to glow a bright blue as he performed a horizontal slash to the right with his right sword, followed up with an uppercut with the left sword plus a full circle spin. Next, he did a horizontal slash to the right with both swords and another full spin. He repeated the movement again but instead of a spin, Marth did a downward X-slash and followed it up with upward X-slash, using both of his swords for each one.

The Drivers and Blades watched in shock at what seemed to be an Art.

"Wh-what kind of Art is that?" Sonum stuttered.

"I do not think that is an Art, my lady," Dromarch replied.

Gleam Eyes managed to punch the dual-wielder in the face, but Marth kept going with his assault.

'_Faster,_' Marth thought.

The Dark Swordsman did two opposite-directional diagonal slashes, the left sword went down-left while the right one went up-right. He then reversed his grip on his swords and did a downward X-slash with both swords. Marth followed it up with a corkscrew attack before shifting his swords in a forward grip. He then did a downward X-slash and an upward X-slash next. Gleam Eyes was able to punch the swordsman again, but Marth just kept attacking.

'_Gotta go faster!_' Marth thought.

The Spriggan uttered a howl as he performed several more slashes at high speed, blue streaks trailing his blades, while Gleam Eyes did the same, albeit at a much slower pace and without the streaks.

"You won't defeat me so easily!" Gleam Eyes declared.

Somehow the demon was able to grab Lunara which prevented the twentieth attack, which would have been a thrust with the right sword. Both Drivers and Blades watched in horror as it looked like it was all over for the dual-wielder. However, Starburst Stream still had one more attack left, which was a forward lunge with the left sword. Marth let out a feral scream as he thrusted Solaris right into monster's chest. Gleam Eyes did a horizontal slash in an attempt to finish him off, but the dual-wielder was faster. After the attacks landed, a few moments passed before Gleam Eyes collapsed to the ground and began dissolving into black smoke.

Gleam Eyes locked eyes with his killer, who looked completely exhausted. "You… You are not of this world. Your soul… it is a fragment of its former self, but I can feel a great power within you." Gleam Eyes smiled cynically. "It seems that part of my search is over." The demon tried to grab Marth, but the Spriggan wasn't as tired as he appeared as he severed the demon's arm with Solaris.

Gleam Eyes howled in pain as he continued to dissolve. "Gah! No matter! My death means nothing! The Shadow Army will find the hero of this world instead, and the priestess. Every world will be plunged in shadow. We…are…a legion! We are…"

"Will you just die already!?" Marth exclaimed impatiently as he was incased with purple lightning before launching a beam of electricity into demon's skull from Lunara, causing the demon's body to disintegrate instantly. Marth then let out a deep breath as his lightning aura disappated. "Sheesh, I thought that guy would never shut up. How long does it take for monsters to die here?"

However, everyone else was troubled by what they just heard. According to Gleam Eyes, if his word could even be trusted, the "Frank" before them was from another world. Not to mention that he finished off the demon with purple lightning, which they knew their Frank couldn't do and that Mythra was strangely absent. What was also strange was that Gleam Eyes claimed that Marth's soul was a fragment of itself, whatever that meant.

Marth turned to face the group and noticed the strange looks they had.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" he asked.

Meg approached her "brother" just as the moon shone through the clouds, revealing Marth's blue eyes and his pointed ears, features her brother didn't have. She knew without a doubt that the person standing before her was not her brother, but someone who had the same name and face as him.

"Hold on," Marth said slowly. "Are you really my sister?"

Meg shook her head. "Frank, or whoever you are, it seems we have mistaken each other for people we know. I am not your sister and you are not my brother."

"Okay, I'm with you so far. Where are we anyway? I know for sure that this isn't Alfheim."

"This is Alrest. I'm afraid you're in another world."

Marth gritted his teeth. "I knew it," he said simply. "Now what?"

**To be continued**

**This is the end of my preview for Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Bonds. The rest of the chapters will be posted after Sword Art Online: The Dark Swordsman 2 is finished due to spoilers for certain characters near the end of these two stories. I hope you all will look forward to when I finish it so you can read this story in full. Thank you.**


	11. Chapter 11: Kindred Spirits

**Chapter 11- Kindred Spirits**

After introducing themselves to the Spriggan, the group took Marth to Sonum's base back in Torigoth to talk. Surprisingly, he was taking the idea of him being in another world quite well. He didn't ask a lot of questions about the Gormotti or Nopon people he saw around the city.

"So I'm in another world," Marth said as he leaned against a wall with his arms crossed. "That explains why I couldn't open the system menu or received any messages from Kirito and the others. The real question is…how did I get here?"

"What were you doing before you appeared in the forest?" Ethan asked.

"I was logging onto a VRMMO game I play called Alfheim Online. My friends and I were going to do a raid together to get a legendary weapon." Marth then paled. "Oh great, Yuuki's so gonna kill me if I don't get back soon."

"Yuuki?" Sonum said.

"My girlfriend," Marth replied simply.

Meg folded her arms. "This is troubling news. There are two versions of you existing in this dimensional universe. Who knows what effects that'll have?"

"Typically, whenever that happens in movies, the universe collapses in on itself," Marth said. "I'd rather not stick around to find out if it's true or not."

"All the more reason to get you back to your world as soon as possible, Dark Swordsman," said a familiar voice.

The group turned and saw none other than Klaus standing by the back of the room.

"Professor Klaus," Meg said in a formal tone. "What are you doing here?"

"My instruments detected an anomaly in space and led me here," Klaus explained. "Now that I see your brother's counterpart, it all makes sense."

"Counterpart?" Brighid questioned.

"As you probably figured out by now, the Frank standing before you is an alternate version of the one you know. His past and future are vastly different from this world's Frank. This Frank hails from a world where virtual reality MMORPGs exist. He saved thousands of people from Sword Art Online, a VRMMO that had killed hundreds of players in the real world."

Marth grunted in disapproval as he folded his arms. "You make me sound like I'm some kind of hero or something. But I didn't do it alone. I had my best friend, Kirito, fighting beside me as we defeated the final bosses of SAO, ending the death game." He then eyed the scientist in suspicion. "Hold on, how do you even know that?"

"I have my ways," Klaus replied, making Marth even more suspicious of the man.

"Master Klaus, how are we going to get this Frank back to his world?" Dromarch asked.

"With great difficulty," Klaus admitted. "Traveling to alternate dimensions is nearly impossible, but there are ways to pull it off. First, we need to go to Leftheria and get this world's Frank, along with Mythra, then we'll head to a secret island where we can open a portal to send the other Frank home."

Ethan raised his hand. "Hold on, if there are two Franks in the same place, how will we deal with the name issue? It'll be way too confusing, especially if we try talking to both of them at once."

"Did you forget the part about me playing VRMMOs?" Marth deadpanned. "It's an easy fix. Just call me 'Marth'. That's my avatar's name."

"Wait, 'Marth'? Where the heck did you get that name from?" Sonum asked.

"Fire Emblem. It's a strategy game I played when I was little."

"That takes care of that issue," Klaus said. "Now then, we must leave immediately. The longer we delay, the less our odds of returning Marth home increases."

The group hurried outside, where Klaus's ship was waiting. Marth commented how cool it looked as they got on board and made haste for Leftheria. Along the way, Klaus noticed a silver light coming from his coat pocket. He brought out the object and found that it was reacting to Marth, who was standing by the edge of the ship, looking out towards the Cloud Sea.

"Interesting," Klaus mused before pocketing the object.

**Meanwhile**

Frank was outside the porch, looking up at the stars. He had just finished his training with Jin for the day and had another delicious dinner from Pyra, which was Cloud Sea Crab Legs and Moonbeam Salad. For some reason, Frank felt uneasy, but he couldn't figure out why.

"You okay?" Frank turned and saw Jin behind him. Pyra could be seen washing the dishes with Nia and Corinne.

"Yeah, I just have a weird feeling."

"Does it involve a certain blonde Blade?" Jin said with a smirk. Despite the calm exterior, Jin proved to be quite teasing when he wanted to be.

Frank's face went a beet red. "No! I already told you that's not funny!"

Jin chuckled in amusement. "If you didn't make it so easy, I wouldn't tease you so often. So what do you feel?"

Frank's face returned to normal. "I feel a strange sensation in the air," he explained. "Almost like something's wrong somewhere in Alrest."

The masked swordsman then felt the hair at the back of his neck stick up, like something wasn't right. "Now that you mention it, I'm feeling something too," Jin replied. "What could be the cause of it?"

"I don't know."

Suddenly Klaus's ship landed in front of Corinne's house, prompting everyone to go investigate. Frank watched as he saw Meg, Ethan, Sonum, their Blades, and Klaus exit the ship.

"Hey guys!" Frank greeted. "What's up?" He then noticed the grim looks on their faces. "What is it?"

It was Meg who spoke up. "We've got a small problem."

Pyra went over to her Driver's side. "What's wrong?" the Aegis asked.

The Flamebringer simply pointed to Klaus's ship, where Frank and the others saw what looked like himself.

"What the heck?!" Frank exclaimed in surprise.

Pyra saw the lookalike and had the same reaction. "You have a twin? Why didn't you tell me?"

The lookalike chuckled in amusement. "The name's Marth. I'm not his twin."

"Then who are you?" Jin demanded.

The group then explained the situation to the others.

"So Marth is Frank's counterpart from another world?" Pyra said.

"Yep," Ethan replied. "Apparently we need you and Frank's help to get him back to his world as soon as possible."

"Just out of curiosity," Nia said. "But what will happen if Marth doesn't go back to his world?"

The look on Klaus's face was grim. "There is a rift between our world and Marth's. Our two worlds weren't supposed to meet, but a spacial disturbance caused our worlds to connect. That rift is what brought Marth here. If we don't send him back to his world, the rift will grow until it consumes both worlds."

"Then we need to hurry before that happens," Frank said.

Suddenly Marth tensed up as he examined the area.

"What's wrong?" Pyra asked in concern.

"Someone's here," Marth said firmly. "Can't tell if it's friend or foe."

Nia raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not going ballistic?"

"Quiet Nia," Jin told the Gormotti. "I sense it too."

This time Nia went on-guard, as did everyone else as they examined the area. Suddenly a voice called out, "Ah ha! There you are, Marth! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you, you stupid Spriggan?!" Marth immediately flinched in fear as he recognized the voice.

The group turned towards the source and saw a seventeen-year-old girl with long purple hair and red eyes and pointed ears. She was wearing obsidian chest armor, a long-sleeved bluebottle violet tunic which showed part of her sides, as well as her shoulders, purple fingerless gloves, a windswept shirt that went a little bit past her thighs and parted on her right leg of the same color, and purple high heeled boots that went all the way up to her knees. She also had a one-handed double-edged purple sword in a black sheath strapped to her waist.

Marth nervously waved to the girl. "Hey… Yuuki," he said slowly.

Yuuki stomped over to her boyfriend and promptly slapped him in the face, before pulling him into a tight hug, surprising everyone watching.

"Thank goodness you're alright, Marth," Yuuki said in relief. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

Marth returned the embrace, holding the Imp close. "I'm sorry, Yuuki," the Spriggan replied as he rubbed the back of her head with one hand to comfort her. "I didn't mean for this to happen. It just did."

"Where are we?" Yuuki asked.

"Alrest. It's a world that's parallel to our own. How'd you get here anyway?"

"You didn't show up for the guild meeting, so we all got pretty worried. Thorrnn was about to log off to go to see if you were alright when suddenly this shadow appeared. Kirito tried to fight it, but it just swallowed him up. It then trapped us and did the same thing. After that I found myself here and heard your voice."

Yuuki then noticed Frank over her boyfriend's shoulder. "Why are there two of you?"

"It's a long story. We'll have to explain it on the way."

Pyra then switched to Mythra. "Are you two lovebirds gonna just stand there holding each other all day, or are you gonna actually do something?" Marth and Yuuki immediately separated, both looking rather embarrassed.

"Mythra! That wasn't very nice," Frank scolded. "You should be a little more considerate considering their situation."

Mythra glared at her Driver. "We've got two worlds at stake, and if we don't get them back to their world immediately, then we're all done for. So sorry if I'm trying to hurry things along."

"Mythra's right," Klaus said. "If more people from Marth's world are crossing over to this one, then that means the rift is beginning to grow. We need to hurry to Temporal Island and get Marth and Yuuki back to their world. Let's just hope we don't meet any more unexpected visitors."

**Meanwhile**

Zeke was at the bridge of the Marsanes when Akhos and his sister Patroka entered. Patroka had long black hair and blue eyes. Her outfit was white with some other colors.

"What is it?" Zeke asked.

"We detected an anomaly on an uncharted island," Akhos explained. He pulled up an image of the island, which was covered in forests, with ancient ruins in the center. "There's an unstable rift building at the top of a tower there."

"And this concerns us, why?" Malos interrupted as he and Mikhail entered the helm. Mikhail had blond hair and blue eyes. He also wore a maroon jacket, black pants and gloves, and black boots.

"It's a spacial rift!" Akhos replied, nearly shouting. "Two points in space that never should have touched. If it isn't stopped, everything in Alrest will be destroyed!"

"Isn't that what we're trying to do?" Patroka asked, not understanding her brother's worries.

"Yes, but this is different. Everything would disappear, including us!"

Malos still didn't see the point, but he looked Zeke in the eye. "Well, fearless leader, what's your take on this?"

Zeke was silent for a moment before saying, "Akhos, how do we stop it?"

Akhos adjusted his glasses and said, "The only way to close the rift is to find whoever caused it and stop them."

"Okay, but how do we find them?" Mikhail asked. "They could be anywhere."

"Everyone in Alrest has an ether signature," Akhos explained. "If someone came from another world, particularly one with no ether, they would have an unusual energy signature. We could use that to track them."

"Do it," Zeke said, prompting Akhos to start typing on a keyboard.

Malos approached the masked swordsman. "Are we seriously trying to save the world we're planning to destroy?"

"We've put a lot of time and effort into our plans," Zeke explained. "Do you not want the satisfaction of seeing them succeed?"

The Aegis shrugged. "Personally, I couldn't care less, but you're right. Destroying the world won't mean anything if we don't do it ourselves. Besides, if we all disappear, I won't be able to get the answers I need from my father."

"I found them!" Akhos exclaimed.

"Good," Zeke replied. "Can you give us an image?"

"There's an Artifice located near two of the signatures, the rest are on the island."

Zeke realized what the island was. "Temporal Island. Have the Artifice look at the two signatures but keep it out of sight."

Akhos did what he was told and an image appeared on-screen. There, they saw Mythra and her friends on a ship, along with Marth and Yuuki.

"Great," Malos said. "The kid's got a doppelganger. I'm guessing he and that purple-haired girl are the source of the two signatures?"

"Correct," Akhos confirmed. "Quite the coincidence that they're traveling with the Aegis. It seems that they've got the same idea. Should we move in and capture them and the Aegis?"

"No," Zeke said firmly. "This rift is a threat to all of us. Malos, you and I will go to Temporal Island and assist the Aegis. We are not to capture her while we're there. We'll get another chance to do so. The rest of you will monitor the situation from the Marsanes and alert us of any changes that happen."

Patroka groaned. "Seriously? Why does Malos get to go? He doesn't even have his Blade anymore."

Mikhail put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Patroka. I'll keep you company while Zeke and Malos get all the fun."

Patroka promptly punched him in the stomach. "Shut up, Mik!"

"We'll use the Monoceros to get to the island," Malos said. "Then we'll meet up with Mythra and her lot to call a ceasefire."

"Be careful out there," Akhos warned as the duo walked off. "Who knows what could be lurking on that island."

**Meanwhile**

Yuuki, Mythra and Nia were in one of the ship's cabins. Yuuki was sitting on the couch, Mythra on one of the beds, and Nia on the other.

"So you've got two personalities?" Yuuki asked the Blade.

"Pretty much," Mythra said. "It wasn't always like that, but Pyra's pretty much my sister. There are things she can do that I can't."

"Like cooking a decent meal," Nia joked, prompting Mythra to throw her pillow at the Gormotti. "You know it's true. I bet that's one thing Frank likes about Pyra over you."

"He does not!?" Mythra protested.

Yuuki couldn't help but give an all-knowing smirk. "Sounds to me like you really care a lot about Frank."

Mythra blushed in embarrassment. "I-it's for both our sakes. Pyra had the bright idea to share half of our Core Crystal with him, causing us to share each other's injuries. If one of us dies, we both do."

"You sure that's it?" Yuuki asked, still having her smirk.

"Don't you dare say it!?" Mythra warned.

"You love Frank!" Yuuki said in a playful tone.

"No, I don't!?" Mythra shouted, throwing a pillow at the swordswoman, who easily dodged it.

_Yes, you do,_ Pyra said.

_I do NOT have feelings for him!_ Mythra screamed, nearly giving herself a headache. _He's my Driver, and that's it. There's nothing else!_

_You keep forgetting that we share memories. I know exactly what you think about him. I care about him too, you know. There's nothing wrong with admitting it to yourself._

_Ugh. Why are you always right when it comes to boys?!_

Mythra took a deep breath and folded her arms. "Okay, fine! I like Frank more than just friend. Happy?"

Nia gave Yuuki an envious look. "How'd you do that?" she asked the Imp. "I've been trying to get her to admit it for two weeks and nothing."

"I had a good teacher, and I'm sure Pyra helped as well," Yuuki admitted. "I could tell she cares a lot about Frank too. You two sure know how to make things difficult for him."

"What do you mean?" Mythra questioned.

"I know that you and Pyra are the same person, but Frank still has to choose between you two. He also seems different from my Frank."

Mythra looked at the Imp in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Marth has a bad habit of doing things on his own, without asking for help, unless its Kirito. I think that's mostly because he isolated himself in SAO by being a solo player. Frank, on the other hand, seems more open to work with others. Marth has slowly gotten better at it, but there's still a part of him that goes solo."

"Interesting," Mythra said. "So how did you and Marth meet?"

"I'd like to hear that too," Nia said.

Yuuki told them how she first met Marth in Sword Art Online, how they eventually became a team, even their in-game marriage and the Alfheim Incident.

"Wow, you two have been through a lot together," Nia commented.

Yuuki shrugged. "I guess so. Marth's done a lot for me, and everyone else. It's because of him that I'm so strong."

**Meanwhile**

Frank and Marth were at the bow of the ship, admiring the Cloud Sea below.

"So how long have you and Mythra been a thing?" Marth asked suddenly.

Frank's face went crimson. "W-we're not dating! I'm just her Driver! That's all!?"

Marth chuckled in amusement. "Oh, really?" he said with his famous smirk. "Didn't seem that way to me." The Dark Swordsman folded his arms. "Want my advice? Don't ever let her go. You never know what you have until you lose it. I'd hate to see my counterpart have to go through that kind of loss."

"Have you gone through something like that?"

The Spriggan shook his head. "Somewhat. I've seen countless people die in SAO, people I couldn't save. Even though players knew Sword Art Online was a death game, there were those who killed other players just for the fun of it."

Frank gasped in surprise. "Seriously? People actually killed each other in that game?"

"Yes, granted some were in self-defense, but the rest were all murders. There was this one group that specialized in killing players called Laughing Coffin. The Assault Team tried to reason with them to stop their PK-ing, but Laughing Coffin didn't care. I ended up volunteering to investigate them so I could find their base so we could launch a crusade to arrest them all. However, they found out about our plans and ambushed us outside their base. In the middle of the chaos, I snapped and killed five members of Laughing Coffin. I just…cut them down. Though we won the fight, we lost ten of our own, while twenty members of Laughing Coffin were killed, the rest were sent to prison, all except one, their leader, PoH.

Marth gripped his left arm with his other hand tightly. "Sadly, PoH managed to stay low for the remainder of SAO. I have no idea where he is now or what his real name is."

"Do you want to get revenge on him?" Frank questioned.

The Dark Swordsman shook his head. "As tempting as that sounds, getting revenge won't bring those dead players back," Marth answered. "The most I'll be able to do is make sure PoH won't kill again if he ever returns." Deciding to change the subject, Marth added. "So what about you? What's your life like?"

"Not much happier than yours." Frank then told the Spriggan his life story, which took a while.

Marth's eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents. I can't imagine the amount of hardship you've went through."

Frank shook his head. "Ditto. However, I think it was meant to happen."

Marth lowered his arms and chuckled. "I've never really believed in fate," he admitted. "I've always felt like we make our own destinies, our own fate."

The Aegis Driver laughed as well. "Think you could show me those Sword Skills of yours sometime?"

"Only if you show me your Arts," Marth said with a smile.

"Deal. Kind of funny that our worlds have similar special attacks."

"Yep."

Suddenly Temporal Island could be seen in the distance. A large black cloud was spiraling above the island, with lightning crashing down.

"Everyone," Klaus announced over the speaker. "Come to the bridge immediately."

**Later**

Everyone was gathered in the bridge, where Klaus began explaining the plan.

"Temporal Island is an uncharted island that few people know about, only appearing in certain situations like this," Klaus explained. "It's covered in a thick forest that is nearly impossible to navigate. We'll have to go through the forest on foot since ships are unable to fly over the island for an unexplained reason. Once we get out of the forest, we'll need to go past some ancient ruins and climb Temporal Tower in the center of it. The rift is at the top of the tower, which is where we need to go to send Marth and Yuuki home. I won't lie, this will not be easy. Temporal Island will be full of powerful monsters, either from our world or Marth's. We have to stay together no matter what. If you get lost, we may not be able to find you. Does everyone understand?"

They all did. Klaus then landed the ship by the edge of the forest. As they all got off, they saw that they weren't alone.

"About time you brats got here," Malos said, leaning on a tree. He had a regular sword strapped to his waist.

Mythra glared at her fellow Aegis. "Malos, why are you here?"

"Relax, partner, I'm not here to fight you," he said. "The spacial rift threatens all of us, so we came to help you send those two home." Malos gestured to the Spriggan and Imp.

"We?" Frank questioned. "Who else is here?" Zeke then appeared from the forest.

"Who are you?" Marth asked in suspicion.

"I am Zeke, leader of Torna. I just scouted a part of the forest. There is a pathway leading to Temporal Tower, but there are powerful monsters lurking here. You'll need all the help you can get if you want to reach the top of that tower alive."

"How do you know this place?" Klaus demanded. "Only certain individuals know of its existence!"

"I have my ways," Zeke replied. "I give you my word that we will not attack you, or try to take the Aegis, while we're here. Once we complete our task, we will leave as enemies again."

"You're calling a ceasefire?" Frank guessed, to which Zeke nodded.

Marth eyed the masked swordsman with suspicion. While he could tell that Zeke was being sincere, Marth could sense that something off about him, something not quite human. Strangely enough, he got the same vibe from Jin and Nia as well.

Meg sighed. "It's not like we have a choice, and he makes a valid argument. We're in unknown territory here so we'll need as much help as we can get."

The others, although reluctantly, agreed and they all entered the forest.

**Meanwhile**

At the top of Temporal Tower, a man wearing a black cloak sneered. "They're here," he said cynically. "Come to me, Marth, Mythra, and meet your destiny."

**To be continued**


	12. Chapter 12: Rush to Temporal Tower

**Chapter 12- Rush to Temporal Tower**

The forest was thick and dark, making it nearly impossible to see. The only light the group had to see with was the light Mythra and Brighid provided. Surprisingly, Marth claimed that he could see just fine, saying that as a Spriggan, he had night vision. The forest was eerily quiet, making everyone on edge.

Marth, Zeke, Jin, Frank and Mythra were in the front while Malos, Meg, Brighid, Yuuki and Nia were at the back. Everyone else was in the middle.

"Hey, Yuuki, does this place remind you of the Dark Woods at all?" Marth questioned.

"Now that you mention it, it does," the Imp replied. "Talk about weird."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ethan questioned.

"Just making a comparison between this forest and one in Aincrad," Marth answered.

"Aincrad?"

The Dark Swordsman let out a groan. "It's a long story."

"Anyway, how much longer until we're out of this forest?" Sonum asked nervously.

"If we keep up with our current speed, we should see the ruins in about an hour," Zeke replied.

Frank shivered slightly. "Good, the sooner we get out of here, the better."

Mythra chuckled in amusement. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from the scary dark."

Everyone, including Zeke and Malos, burst out laughing at Frank's reaction. To make Frank even more embarrassed, Marth high-fived the female Aegis.

"Nice one," Marth praised.

"I couldn't resist," Mythra replied with a smirk.

Suddenly Marth, Jin and Zeke tensed up and froze in place as they sensed something nearby, causing everyone else to stop.

"What's wrong now?" Malos demanded.

"We're being watched," Marth said as he and the two masked swordsmen scanned the immediate area. For a split second, Marth saw a man in a black cloak, a hood covering his face, before the man disappeared into the shadows.

After a few moments, nothing happened.

"You must be losing it," Malos said finally. "There's no one here."

"Not anymore," Jin replied. "I sensed a dark presence lurking around, observing us."

"You too?" Zeke asked. Marth and Jin nodded.

Ethan gritted his teeth nervously. "All in favor of getting the heck out of here, say 'Aye'."

There was a unanimous number of "aye's" before the group continued down the forest. As they walked, Marth thought about the cloaked man he saw.

'_Could that have been…?_' was all the Spriggan thought before a blue light shone nearby in the trees.

"Now what is it?" Sonum said.

Yuuki instinctively grasped the hilt of her sword. "It could be monsters, or some of me and Marth's friends. We should go take a look."

Azurda, who was riding on Dromarch with Sonum, said, "I distinctly recall Klaus saying not to wander off in this forest."

"But if it is our friends, then we have to find them," Marth replied. "Otherwise the rift won't close, and both our worlds will be destroyed."

Zeke nodded in agreement. "We will be fine if we all stay together. None of us can stand alone on this island."

The group then headed to the source of the light. In a small clearing, they could see two teenagers, one boy and one girl, along with a black-haired pixie wearing a pink dress. The boy was around seventeen and had black hair and eyes, as well as pointed ears. His outfit was identical to Marth's, only he had silver trimming instead of gold. He had a black sword and a gold sword strapped to his back in black scabbards.

The girl was around eighteen and had long aqua blue hair and eyes; she also had pointed ears as well. Her outfit consisted of blues and whites, and she had a rapier strapped to her waist.

Marth's eyes widened in recognition. "Kirito! Asuna! Yui!" he exclaimed as he ran to his friends.

Kirito turned and saw his best friend with a bunch of people. "Marth? What are you…?" the Spriggan started to say when a flash of purple ran into Asuna.

"Asuna! You're here too!" Yuuki said as she tackled the Lightning Flash into a hug.

The Undine was surprised to see the Imp and said, "Yuuki? What's going on? I remember us being surrounded by that shadow and then I woke up here with Kirito and Yui…"

"Long story, but we're in another world called Alrest," Marth said hastily. "If we don't get back to our world soon, we're all gonna die."

"What?!" both Kirito and Asuna exclaimed in shock.

"You could have broken it to them a little more slowly," Yuuki whispered to her boyfriend.

"Yeah, probably should've," Marth agreed.

Suddenly the pixie flew over to the Dark Swordsman and hovered in front of him. "You're so mean, Uncle Marth!" the pixie scolded. "Making everyone worry like that! Don't ever vanish like that again!"

"Uncle?!" the Alrestians said in surprise.

Marth held his forehead in his palm. "These are my friends, Kirito and Asuna. The pixie in front of me is their adopted daughter, Yui, my adopted niece. And for your information Yui, I wasn't planning on going to another world! It was out of my control!" He then spent the next five minutes introducing his friends to the Alrestians, and explaining the situation they're in.

"Okay, I think I understand what you're saying," Kirito said after Marth was done. "Basically, we need to get to this Temporal Tower ASAP if we don't want both of our worlds to be destroyed? Sounds easy enough."

Marth chuckled as he folded his arms. "Always the optimist. You never change."

Klaus cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Do I have to remind everyone that we are on a time limit? We need to keep moving."

Ethan heard something behind him and turned around. He immediately jumped back when he saw a humanoid-lizard hybrid with a curved sword and shield. Soon they were surrounded by the same monsters.

"What the heck are they?!" Malos exclaimed as everyone, minus the Blades, Azurda and Yui, drew their weapons.

"Lizardman Lords," Kirito answered as Yui hid in his coat pocket. "They're monsters from our world."

Klaus gritted his teeth. "I was afraid this would happen. These are phantoms. They may not be the same monsters you fought, but they are just as powerful as the real ones."

"Be careful when fighting them," Marth warned as he parried an attack with his swords. "These things can use Sword Skills too."

"And how are we gonna deal with that?" Frank asked quickly.

"Keep an eye on their weapons," Asuna briefed. "When their weapons start glowing, that means they're activating a Sword Skill. Avoid the attack, then counter while they're frozen."

Malos smirked in anticipation. "You maggots wanna fight?!" he shouted. "I'll give you a fight!"

The Lizardman Lords charged at the group. Some of the monsters immediately activated Sword Skills, but thanks to Asuna's advice, the Drivers knew when to block/dodge the attacks before countering. Malos and Zeke proved to be quite the team, fighting against ten monsters like it was nothing. Malos held their attention while Zeke finished them off with blinding speed.

Marth and Yuuki worked in unison to defeat two Lizardmen. The Spriggan countered a Sword Skill with his own, allowing Yuuki to kill one using another Sword Skill. As the second Lizardman tried to attack the frozen Absolute Sword, Marth unfroze and killed it with a Sword Skill. The couple backed up to Kirito and Asuna, where they all covered each other's flanks, not letting a single monster pass.

Frank had Mythra switch to Pyra, who then used Flame Nova (which was a blast of fire) to torch three Lizardmen. Brighid followed it up with Will-o'-the-Wisp, burning the monsters even further. Pyra then switched back to Mythra.

"Go for it!" Frank exclaimed as he tossed her his sword.

Glowing green lines appeared around Mythra's body as she said, "Taste my power! Lightning Buster!" Mythra raised her sword up, extending the beam, before slashing it down at the Lizardmen and following it up with a spin attack, causing all the monsters to dissolve into shadow as they died.

"Nice Blade Combo!" Ethan praised as Poppi used Noponic Axion to kill another three Lizardmen.

"Dark Maelstrom!" Sonum and Dromarch shouted as they unleashed a blast of blue energy at five Lizardmen, leaving them vulnerable to Jin and Nia, who cut them down with no problem.

It wasn't long before all the monsters were slain. However, soon afterward, an earth-shattering roar echoed in the air.

"What the heck was that?" Malos questioned.

"I don't know but whatever it is, it's close," Zeke replied.

A loud rumbling could be heard, slowly increasing in intensity.

Yui popped her head out of her father's coat pocket. "Daddy, I'm detecting a powerful monster heading this way."

"Can you ID it?" the Spriggan asked.

The pixie shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't. It must be a monster that wasn't in SAO or ALO."

Ethan went pale. "Great. A powerful monster is coming, and we don't even know what it is."

Yuuki smiled eagerly. "We'll be fine," she said confidently. "Marth can easily obliterate it with his lightning magic. They don't call him 'the Stormbringer' for nothing."

Marth let out a groan. "No one calls me that," he replied.

"But they should!" Yuuki argued.

Before the couple could continue their "debate", a large dinosaur-like creature appeared. It had red leathery skin, was bipedal, and resembled a t-rex.

"What the heck is that?!" Frank shouted.

Even Klaus was shocked. "It can't be. That's a Primordial!"

"A Prim-what?" Kirito questioned.

"It's an ancient creature that once roamed the World of Y's before going extinct," Klaus explained. "Its skin is very thick so normal weapons won't injure it."

"Then it's a good thing that most of us here don't use normal weapons," Meg replied. "Let's go, Brighid!"

"Right behind you." Brighid followed her Driver as she charged at the Primordial. Soon the other Drivers and Blades entered the fray as well.

"Wait! Don't!" Klaus warned, but it was too late.

Ethan slashed at the monster's leg with his saber, leaving a small gash that drew blood. The Primordial screeched in pain before shooting a fireball at Sonum, but Dromarch protected her with his defense barrier.

"It can shoot fire too?!" Sonum exclaimed.

"Clearly this creature is very powerful," Dromarch remarked. "My lady, we must take extreme caution."

Frank sent a blast of light at the Primordial's head, getting its attention. The Primordial charged at the Aegis Driver and his Blade, both of whom jumped out of the way. The Primordial didn't relent, however, and kept pursuing the duo before Meg and Brighid stopped it with a wall of blue flames.

"Great," Mythra scolded her Driver. "You made it mad."

Frank glared at the blonde-haired Aegis. "I don't see you offering any ideas!"

Suddenly a blast of purple lightning struck the Primordial in the side, knocking it into the trees.

"What the?" Frank said in confusion.

"Can you two argue later?" Marth questioned as he approached the duo, purple lightning discharging from his body. "We need to focus on the fight at hand."

The Primordial got back on its feet and roared at the blue-eyed Spriggan in anger. It then charged at him, barring its teeth.

"Marth! Run!" Klaus exclaimed.

Marth, however, remained where he was. He simply raised his hand up as thunder boomed from the sky. He then swung it down, causing a large bolt of purple lightning to shoot down and strike the Primordial in the back, causing the monster to roar in pain.

"No way!" Ethan, Sonum, and Meg exclaimed in shock. Their Blades had the same reaction.

Mythra gritted her teeth in frustration. "Copycat," she said. "Two can play at that game." The crystal in her tiara, as well as her core, began glowing green.

Frank's eyes widened as he realized what she was about to do. "Mythra, wait!"

The Aegis ignored her Driver as she summoned a particle beam down on the Primordial, greatly injuring the beast even further. This time the fairies were shocked at the display of power. Marth was the first to recover and gave Mythra a light-hearted smile.

"Cool," Marth said, sounding impressed. "You're stronger than you look."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Mythra retorted.

"Can you guys save this discussion for later?!" Frank practically yelled. "You're both powerful, so why don't you work together to kill this thing?"

Mythra and Marth made eye contact, and both shrugged.

"You better not slow me down," Mythra said as she took the Aegis Sword from her Driver.

Marth smirked mischievously. "Oh please, speed is my specialty."

The Spriggan and the Aegis approached the downed Primordial, who was covered head-to-toe with injuries. The Primordial roared at the duo in defiance as it tried to get up but failed and collapsed on the ground. The duo felt pity for the mighty creature and decided to put it out of its misery. Mythra summoned another particle beam, while Marth released an electric blast from his swords. Both attacks struck the Primordial in simultaneously, ending its life.

"Whoa," Kirito said in awe. "I wonder what would happen if Marth and Mythra combined their powers."

"Mass destruction," Jin replied simply.

"I heard that!" Marth and Mythra shouted.

With the Primordial dead, the group continued towards the ruins.

"Akhos," Zeke said through his earpiece. "Give me an update."

"The rift is becoming more unstable," Akhos replied through the earpiece in Zeke's ear. "The energy readings coming from it are off the charts."

"Is it trying to destroy Alrest?"

"No. It's almost like something is trying to come through it. Something powerful."

Zeke relayed what Akhos told him to the group, making them all want to pick up the pace. As they ran past trees and boulders, both Frank and Marth felt a strange sensation, like they've been here before. Kirito, Yuuki, Mythra and Asuna also felt that they have been in the forest before as well.

The group fought a couple of monsters as they progressed through the forest. Soon, the trees began to clear up and revealed a ruined city with a broken wall. A large tower could be seen there, a great void floating at the top.

"Are these the ruins we're looking for?" Sonum asked.

"No," Malos said sarcastically. "These are completely different ruins that have no relation to why we're here in the first place!"

Sonum glared angrily at the male Aegis. "It was just a simple question. You don't have to be rude about it."

"Hate to break it to you, Sonum," Mythra said. "But kindness and Malos don't mix."

Malos scoffed in annoyance. "I can be nice if I want to. I just don't like it when people ask dumb questions."

The group then entered the city through a destroyed gate, there they saw in horror that the city was full of fallen buildings and debris. Scorch marks were everywhere, as if the whole place was on fire long ago.

"How awful," Meg said in shock.

"What happened here?" Asuna wondered. "There are burn marks and debris everywhere."

Mythra examined one of the destroyed buildings and found something strange. "These buildings are old, impossibly old. It's almost like they've been here since before Alrest even existed."

Klaus nodded. "This is the Umbral City," he explained. "And it is as old as time itself. Long before any of our worlds existed, there was only one world, its name long lost to history. This city existed in it. There was a war against mankind and monsters. This city fell before the Shadow Army and became the sight you see now. It was also…where _they_ made their last stand."

"They…?" Meg questioned.

"This is where the Twilight Hero was born." Klaus pointed towards Temporal Tower. "That is where he and the Dawn Priestess made the ultimate sacrifice to stop the Shadow King and seal him away for all eternity."

"The War of Light and Shadow," Jin realized.

Nia looked at the masked man in confusion. "Wait, you mean that old legend actually happened?"

"Of course," Klaus said grimly. "Sadly the names of the hero and priestess were also lost to time. Many people live their whole lives, unaware that their worlds wouldn't have existed if it wasn't for those two."

There was a moment of silence. Ethan then broke it by saying, "I wonder what this city was called back then."

"Arc Sophia," Frank and Marth said in sync, causing everyone to face them.

"Creepy," Sonum said nervously. "How do you two know that?"

"I've been here before," Marth said, almost trance-like. "Long ago. Arc Sophia was under siege by monsters."

"They overwhelmed our defenses and razed the city," Frank took over. "They killed anyone they saw, tore down buildings and burned them down. There were hardly any survivors."

"Marth/Frank?" Yuuki/Mythra said slowly as they approached the respective teen. They both gasped when they saw that Marth and Frank's eyes were glowing red. Neither boy seemed to notice the girls beside them.

Meg waved her hand in front of her brother's face but got no reaction. Kirito did the same to Marth but got the same result.

"Our parents tried to get us to safety," Marth said.

"But then _he_ showed up," Frank took over. "And our parents gave their lives so we could escape."

Yuuki's eyes filled with worry. "What's wrong with them? Marth, snap out of it!"

"C'mon! Stop fooling around, Frank!" Mythra exclaimed. She didn't even try to hide her concern.

Both girls reached for the respective boy, hoping to snap them out of their trance. "Stop!" Klaus exclaimed in warning. "Don't touch them!?"

His words came too late as the girls grabbed the boys' hands. Suddenly an explosion of light and shadow erupted from the teens. When it cleared, only the two teens were standing, while everyone else was on the ground.

"What the heck?!" Malos exclaimed.

"What just happened?" Ethan asked fearfully.

Klaus wiped the dust from his glasses. "That was what I was trying to warn you all about. They're in a sort of trance, lost in long forgotten memories."

"Memories don't cause explosions!" Malos said angrily. "What the hell was that?!"

Klaus hesitated before answering. "There is a power lingering in them. Their mental state has caused it to surface and when they came into contact with those who possess a similar power, it triggered an explosion. I was afraid this might happen. They can't hear us in this state, there's nothing we can do to wake them up."

"That can't be," Yuuki said. "There must be something I can do." She rose to her feet and slowly made her way to Marth.

"Yuuki, no!" Klaus shouted in warning.

"Yuuki's right," Mythra said stubbornly. "Frank's my Driver. We share a core. If anyone can reach him, it's me." The Aegis began to approach her Driver.

Yuuki then grabbed onto Marth while Mythra did the same for Frank. Everyone braced for the blast when suddenly they were surrounded by an aura of light, shielding them from the explosion that followed.

"What's going…?" Nia said before seeing golden light radiate out of Mythra and Yuuki, though the Aegis's light seemed brighter.

"What the?" Yuuki said in confusion. "How did we do that?"

"No idea," Mythra replied.

The duo then noticed the light in both Marth and Frank's eyes die down.

"Yuuki," Marth said slowly.

"Mythra," Frank added weakly.

"Yes," Yuuki cheered. "You're back to normal, Marth!"

"Don't ever do that again!" Mythra warned her Driver. "You had me… I mean everyone worried."

Both boys were clueless on what they were talking about, when suddenly the male counterparts began feeling very weak. Marth and Frank both then collapsed, luckily the duo caught them before they hit the ground.

"Marth!" Yuuki shouted in worry.

"Frank!" Mythra cried out in the same tone.

"They'll be fine, now," Klaus said as he stood up. "I didn't think it was possible for you two to break them from their state. They'll need some rest to recover from that experience." Klaus spotted a (mostly) intact building to his right. "Let's bring them over there. We can rest up and get some cover while we wait."

The others agreed with the scientist. Yuuki and Kirito carried Marth to the building, Mythra and Jin did the same for Frank. Zeke and Malos acted as lookouts while the unconscious teens were lain on beds in different rooms.

Yuuki refused to leave Marth's side, as did Mythra with Frank. Sonum, Nia and Dromarch made sure to check the teens' condition every half-hour. Meg and Brighid were sitting on chairs by a dusty table while Ethan and Poppi sat on ruined couch. Jin and Klaus simply stood. Eventually, Kirito and Asuna left to scout the area, with Yui tagging along.

"Does anyone else find this whole thing weird?" Ethan said suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Brighid asked.

"Frank and Marth. They were fine back in the forest, but when we arrived here, they started acting like they weren't even here anymore. Right when Mythra and the Yuuki touched them, they exploded. That power wasn't normal."

Meg nodded in agreement. "The way they were acting, it seems like they've been here before. They even knew the name of this city… Arc Sophia."

"The whole city looks to have been well fortified," Poppi added. "The people who lived here clearly planned for enemy sieges."

"Yes, but perhaps that's what caused their downfall," Jin guessed. "Human hubris has proven fatal before."

Meg raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "The way you say that makes you sound like you're not human, Jin."

"I'm just speaking in general, that's all," Jin said quickly.

Meg, however, continued to stare suspiciously at the masked man. "So you say. How did you meet my brother anyway?"

"That would be because of me," Klaus explained. "Jin here was one of the most powerful warriors of the Kingdom of Torna, before it fell in the Aegis War. He was put into stasis so he could help the Aegis whenever she was needed again. I thought that since you all were splitting up, Frank and Mythra would need some extra protection from Torna, so I sent Jin to them."

Jin nodded in confirmation. "I ran into Nia on the way there. I saved her from some bandits and she's been travelling with me ever since. She doesn't have any family, so I couldn't just send her away. Besides, she's proven to be quite skilled in combat and medicine."

Meg could tell that there was something Jin was hiding about Nia, and possibly about himself as well. No one wears a mask unless they have something to hide, not to mention that Jin's nodachi seemed to be far stronger than a normal weapon.

The Flamebringer didn't get much time to think about it as she heard footsteps approaching from the outside.

**Meanwhile**

Mythra sat on a chair by Frank's bed, watching as Nia did her usual check-up. Azurda was on a small nightstand next to the bed. Frank's coat and sword was by his bedside. Both the Titan and the Gormotti could feel how tense the Aegis was.

"Relax Mythra," Nia said. "He's fine. He's just resting."

"But why hasn't he woken up yet?" Mythra snapped. "It's been three hours now, and Frank still hasn't stirred. Neither has Marth."

"They've both been through a lot," Azurda assured, trying his best to remain calm. "Those explosions really took a toll on Frank and Marth. They'll need all the rest they can get to recover."

Pyra had been surprisingly silent since the incident. She didn't even attempt to tease Mythra about her worrying over Frank, despite getting tons of material for it.

_Are you okay?_ Mythra finally asked her sister. _You've been awfully quiet. Has teasing lost its thrill?_

_No, I'm worried about Frank too,_ Pyra replied. _This isn't the time to be messing around._

_This whole island is weird,_ Mythra added. _I feel like I've been here before, but I know I haven't. I hope Frank wakes up soon. The longer we delay, the worse it gets._

_I know, but there's nothing we can do. Some things are just out of our hands._

_I hate it when you're right._

Azurda insisted for Mythra to get some sleep while she could. The Aegis objected at first but gave in after realizing just how tired she was. As soon as she rested her head on the bed, she was out like a light. Nia, on the other hand, left the room to check on the Dark Swordsman.

The Gormotti went to Marth's room and saw that he was still asleep as well. Yuuki was sleeping next to the Spriggan, holding him tightly in her arms. Sonum, who was sitting on a chair with Dromarch by her, noticed Nia by the door and quietly approached her.

"Any change?" Nia whispered, not wanting to wake the sleeping teens.

"He's sleeping it off," Sonum said quietly. "Yuuki was very adamant on staying with Marth. It took me a while, but I finally convinced her to rest as well. She may not admit it, but Yuuki looked super tired after that trick she pulled off outside. How's Frank?"

"Same as Marth. Mythra's finally getting some sleep too."

"I hope they wake up soon. We need to get moving as soon as possible."

Nia agreed before she returned to Frank's room, where she saw that Mythra had somehow managed to curl up next to her Driver on the bed. Soon Frank began to stir. He groaned as he sat up and held his head. "Where am I?" he said in a daze. "What happened? Where's Mythra?"

"Take it easy, Frank," Nia said calmly, trying desperately not to laugh, though she failed to hide the devilish grin on her face. "Look down."

Frank looked down and nearly jumped out of his bed when he saw Mythra fast asleep beside him. Unfortunately, his sudden movement ended up waking the Aegis from her slumber.

Mythra sat up and stretched before she saw Frank sitting next to her, awake. "Morning, Frank," she said casually before realizing what she said. "Frank! You're awake!" She pulled her Driver into a hug, much to Nia and Azurda's amusement. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

Frank looked totally confused. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Azurda questioned as Mythra realized the position she was in. Her face went beet red as she broke away from Frank and hastily got off the bed but stayed near her Driver.

"No. What happened? The last thing I remember is us entering the city and then…nothing."

Azurda, although with great reluctance, told the Aegis Driver what happened. Frank was speechless afterward.

"I attacked you?" Frank said in disbelief.

"In a way, yes," Azurda confirmed. "Everyone knows that you and Marth didn't mean it. You weren't in control of yourselves."

"But who was? I've never done anything like that before. Why did it happen now?"

"Who knows," said a familiar voice. The group turned and saw Marth by the door with Yuuki.

"So you're awake too, Marth," Azurda said.

Marth scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I was pretty out of it. Yuuki told me what happened, but I don't remember it either."

"What you all did was really weird," Nia added. "I've never seen anything like that before."

Yuuki nodded. "Me neither. By the way, Kirito and Asuna are back from scouting. Dromarch and Sonum went downstairs to hear what they found. We should go as well."

They all agreed and went downstairs, where they saw everyone else in the living room. Zeke, Jin and Malos kept looking out the window, expecting for monsters to attack at any second. Everyone turned when they heard the group come down.

"Finally decided to wake up, I see," Malos said smugly.

Meg walked over to her brother. "Are you alright, Frank?"

"Yeah. I slept a lot. Sorry for what happened earlier. I…wasn't myself."

"At least you're all okay. That's all that matters," Jin said. He looked at the top of Temporal Tower. "That rift has gotten larger while you slept."

"So Kirito, what did you find during your scouting?" Zeke questioned the scouting team.

"It's pretty much a ghost town," Kirito explained. "The entire city is in shambles. Though that's not much of a surprise."

"We did find a way to Temporal Tower," Asuna added. "If we cut through the market square, we should reach the tower in fifteen minutes."

"I detected a large group of monsters nearby. We managed to avoid them, but they're probably still wandering the area as we speak."

Marth folded his arms as he leaned against the wall. "I doubt we'll have to worry about those monsters if we run into them. We've got a lot of heavy hitters here. I say we head straight for the tower. There's no point in delaying it since we have to go there."

Frank nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan. Let's rest up for a few more minutes before heading out."

"I have something to add," Zeke spoke up. "A while ago, I had Akhos give me a status update on the rift. Not only is it increasing in power but Akhos also said that something seems to be trying to cross over through the rift. Something powerful."

"Well that's not terrifying whatsoever," Marth said sarcastically.

"Let's hurry and reach Temporal Tower before we find out whatever that something is," Mythra said.

Everyone agreed and they headed towards said tower. Right in front of Temporal Tower was a large group of monsters fighting against a small group of humans, two were male and six were girls. The first guy had red hair and dressed like a samurai, with the addition of a red hairband. The second guy was a large man with dark skin. He was dressed in green and silver armor and wielded a large axe.

"Klein!" Marth shouted in disbelief. "And Agil?!"

The first girl had long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and green eyes. Her outfit was a green and white waistcoat, white pants and brown boots. She had a katana in her hands and its scabbard was strapped to her waist. The second girl had long green hair and eyes. Her outfit was identical to Meg's, but it had a green and blue color scheme. She wielded a rapier and had its scabbard in the same place.

"Leafa! Thorrnn!" Kirito said.

The third girl had light blue hair, eyes, cat-like ears and a tail. Her outfit consisted of greens and gray. She carried a bow and had a quiver strapped to the back of her waist. Beside her was another girl. She looked to be the youngest and had brown hair tied up in pigtails, cat-like ears and tail, and red eyes. Her outfit was a navy-blue, and she wielded a dagger. Flying beside her was a small aqua-blue feathered dragon.

"Hey, it's Sinon and Silica!" Yuuki said.

"And Pina too!" Yui added with a smile.

The fifth girl had pink hair and wore silver chest armor, a red jacket underneath, red pants, and metal boots and gloves. She had a mace and small shield. Next to her was the final girl who had brown hair and eyes. She wore a navy-blue jacket, gloves, black pants and boots and carried a short sword and a shield.

"Liz (short for Lisbeth) and Celina too?" Asuna said.

"You guys know those people?" Ethan asked the fairies in confusion.

Marth nodded. "They're our friends and guildmates. We need to help them!"

Not waiting for a response, the fairies drew their weapons and ran to their friends' aid. The Alrestians quickly followed suit.

Klein was about to get struck by a monster's claw to the side when Kirito intervened and killed the monster with his swords.

"About time you guys showed up!" Klein said in mock impatience as he saw Marth, Yuuki and Asuna fight alongside the rest of the guild. "We've been fighting these guys nonstop for ten minutes."

"Well we're here now," Marth replied. "And with help."

"Huh?" Thorrnn noticed the Alrestians joining the fray. "Who are they? Why are there two of you?! And is that another me?!"

"Fight now, talk later," the blue-eyed Spriggan said.

"Uh, okay."

Together the Alfheim Warriors and the Alrestians managed to defeat all the monsters. They then had to do a long introduction between each other while also explaining the situation.

"So me and my brother have counterparts in this world?" Thorrnn asked.

"Looks that way," Meg said as she examined her counterpart. "I see we have the same taste in fashion. How skilled are you with fire?"

Thorrnn smiled with pride. "I mastered fire magic in about a week. It was super easy for me. What about you."

"About the same," the Flamebringer said with a smirk.

Klaus cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. He then focused on Marth and Kirito. "Anyone else we should be looking for or is that it?"

Marth shook his head. "Nope, this is everyone."

"Let's just go inside and get this over with," Malos said impatiently. "The sooner you brats are gone, the sooner I can stop helping you."

"Rude much?" Celina asked.

"Ignore him," Mythra replied. "He's always like that."

"We've got a lot of people here," Frank pointed out. "We're almost like…"

"A raid group," Marth finished with a smile.

Frank nodded. "Yeah. We're like a raid group about to fight a boss in a video game. This is so cool."

Nia scoffed in annoyance. "Can you two stop making such a big deal out of this? We've got more important things to do."

Both swordsmen scratched their heads in embarrassment. The group then entered the tower, where they were greeted by a large horde of giant toads.

"You have got to be kidding me?!" the Alrestians shouted in outrage.

Marth and Kirito, on the other hand, simply smirked in excitement.

"Thinking what I'm thinking?" the Dark Swordsman questioned.

"Whoever kills the most toads wins?" Kirito guessed. "You're on!"

Both Spriggans drew their swords and charged at the toads. The Alrestians watched in surprise as the duo began slaughtering the monsters with ease.

"What are they doing?" Malos asked in exasperation.

"Competing," Lisbeth replied as if it was obvious. "They do this every time we run into a horde of enemies."

"Is it alright to let them do all the fighting?" Meg asked.

The Undine nodded. "Of course. Believe it or not, they actually enjoy this kind of stuff," Asuna answered.

Klein drew his katana. "Move over! I'm joining in!" the samurai exclaimed as he joined the fray, much to the spectators' dismay.

"No fair! I wanna fight too!" Yuuki said as she drew her sword and joined the fight.

"Talk about immature, right Frank?" Mythra said before looking to her right and saw that her Driver wasn't beside her anymore. Instead Frank had joined the fight, killing any toads he saw. "Seriously?!"

Malos chuckled in amusement. "You really know how to pick them, huh Mythra." The female Aegis promptly slapped him in the face, briefly leaving a red hand-shaped mark on his right cheek.

The others ended up joining the fight too, though only to make it end faster. After ten minutes, all the toads were slain. As usual, Marth and Kirito had an argument over who had the most kills but chose to call it a tie when their girlfriends threatened to leave them behind if they didn't stop.

The Aegis Driver took a glance at the Dark Swordsman in awe. '_Marth's really strong, maybe even as strong as Mythra,_' Frank thought to himself. '_I wonder if I'll ever be that powerful._'

Frank then took the opportunity to scan his surroundings. The tower looked to be in the same state of decay as Arc Sophia, with holes in the floor and ceiling. Everything was made of an unknown blue stone. The corridor they were in was large, with a questionably safe set of stairs leading up. Frank looked up and couldn't even see the roof of the tower.

"We have to go all the way up there?" the Aegis Driver said slowly.

"Yes. We will have to go through many floors to reach the tower's peak, all of which will have monsters guarding them," Klaus explained.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Lisbeth exclaimed. "I can't even see the top! It'll take us forever to reach it!"

"Then we better get started," Zeke said.

The group then began the long, arduous climb to the top of Temporal Tower. They all could sense something ominous lurking in the tower, keeping them on edge.

**To be continued**


	13. Chapter 13: The Black Dragon

**Chapter 13- Rage of the Black Dragon**

A few hours had passed since the group entered Temporal Tower. They had finally reached the halfway point of the tower and were resting from continuous stream of monsters and constant climbing.

"Who in the world thinks building a tower like this was a good idea?!" Yuuki complained. "It looks nowhere near as big on the outside! How'd they do that?"

"Magic," Zeke said, getting everyone's attention. "They used powerful magic to make the tower appear smaller than it actually is. I don't know why they did it, but they did."

"How do you know that?" Meg asked. Even Malos was curious.

"I've been on this island before. There are ruins telling of Temporal Tower's construction, but not why it was built."

Marth had one arm on his knee. "Has anyone else noticed anything weird about this place, besides the scale of it?"

"What do you mean?" Nia asked.

"The monsters we've been fighting were a combination of those from our world and yours, but there are also monsters that none of us have ever seen before. One example is that Primordial that we fought in the forest."

Mythra nodded in agreement. "Yeah. And the last floor we were on was full of dragons that looked strangely…humanoid. What's with that?"

"That is because those are phantoms of monsters from other worlds," Klaus explained. "You didn't seriously think that there were only two worlds, did you?"

Jin stared at the double doors at the end of the corridor. In order for them to proceed, they'd have to go through that. "I sense something dark behind those doors," Jin warned. "We should proceed with caution."

The group finished resting and approached the doors, which like the previous floors, opened automatically when they got close. They then walked inside and found themselves in a large corridor, which was surprisingly empty.

"There's nothing here," Ethan said.

"Looks like you made a big deal out of nothing, Jin," Klein added.

"I did not," Jin retorted. "Something's wrong here."

"Yeah, yeah," Malos said impatiently. "Let's just get going."

As the male Aegis walked to the other side of the room, Marth sensed a dark presence, one that felt very familiar to him.

"Malos!" Marth shouted in warning as he ran to the male Aegis. "Wait!"

"Huh?" Malos said as suddenly the ground beneath him and Marth began to glow. Jin, Kirito, Nia, Leafa and Thorrnn all hurried to their aid, but the floor then vanished, causing them and the duo to scream as they fell.

Everyone that was left called out their names in worry before the floor reappeared, separating the two groups.

"What just happened?" Ethan asked in concern.

Asuna suddenly gasped. "Kirito and the others fell into a trap meant to separate us. There's only one person I know who uses _that_ trap to kill people."

A cynical laugh filled the air. "You're as sharp as ever, Lightning Flash," said a voice. A man in a black cloak appeared in the center of the room. He held a meat cleaver, and on his right glove was a symbol the SAO Survivors knew all too well.

Asuna gritted her teeth in anger. "PoH, leader of Laughing Coffin."

PoH gave the group a mock bow. "A pleasure to see you all again. I've been waiting here for you all for ages now. Or more specifically, for Marth."

"What do you mean?" Frank demanded, reaching for his sword.

"I'm sure Marth has told you all about how he hunted me and my guild during our time in Sword Art Online. It's because of him that Laughing Coffin was destroyed, and my guildmates were imprisoned." PoH smirked evilly. "So I'm going to make him suffer by destroying everything that he holds dear."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Frank said bitterly as he gripped his sword tightly.

"First I'll kill the girl he loves, then I'll kill his friends," PoH replied. "Love makes people weak, and once Marth loses everything, he will know the pain I felt when I lost Laughing Coffin."

Yuuki's eyes flared in anger as she drew her sword. "You may talk tough, but that's all it is! I don't go down so easily, and I won't let you hurt anyone else again!"

PoH looked unfazed from the threat. "Let's see if you can back that up, Absolute Sword." As he drew his sword, monsters surrounded the group, but completely ignored the Laughing Coffin leader. "I bet you're all wondering why I'm not surrounded by monsters, but you are. Simple, I made a deal their king, my loyalty for power."

"You sided with these things for power?!" Frank exclaimed in rage as the rest of the group drew their weapons.

"Of course. I was also promised a chance to fight Marth one-on-one. I'd tell you why, but you're all going to be dead anyway. Kill them all!"

The monsters charged at the group, the clashing of weapons echoed through the air.

**Meanwhile**

Marth and the others had finally hit reached the ground, with Marth and Kirito comically landing on Malos's back.

Marth held his head and said, "Where are we?"

"Well, we fell down a trap hole, so I'd say we're at the bottom of the pit," Kirito replied nonchalantly.

Marth glared at his fellow Spriggan. "Gee, thank you Captain Obvious, that was _so_ helpful," the Dark Swordsman said sarcastically.

"My pleasure," the Black Swordsman said with a fake smile.

"Get…off…me…now!?" Malos shouted with increased frustration as he was still pinned to the ground by the two fairies on his back.

The duo quickly got off the male Aegis, before everyone else rose to their feet. They were in a small corridor with dark pathways all around them.

"What was with that trap back there?" Leafa asked. "Was it some sort of defense mechanism?"

Marth shook his head. "If that was true, then why was that the first trap we encountered here? That wasn't a trap left by the builders, but someone else entirely."

Nia folded her arms. "Who then?"

"PoH, the Leader of Laughing Coffin," Marth said grimly. "It was his specialty to use traps like that to separate party members in dungeons to kill them more easily back in SAO."

Kirito's eyes flashed with anger. "So he's here too. We have to get back to the others. PoH's probably fighting them right now. We need to help them."

"How do you propose we get back?" Jin asked. "Each of these passageways look identical, and we don't even know where they all lead nor have the time to try them all."

"I've got a way," Marth said with a slight smirk.

"What is it?" Malos questioned.

Suddenly Marth shifted into a black wolf with white markings, shocking the Alrestians. Kirito smirked as he realized his partner's intentions.

"Of course," Kirito explained. "Your wolf form enhances your tracking abilities. Nice thinking, Marth."

Marth barked in acknowledgement before sniffing the air. Soon he caught the scent of their friends and led them down a hallway. Along the way, they were attacked by monsters along the way, but the group easily dispatched them, as well as showing that Marth was just as deadly in wolf form as he is in his Spriggan form. The group eventually found themselves outside the corridor where their friends were.

"Sounds like a fight's going on in there," Malos said as he heard the sound of weapons clashing on the other side.

Marth then growled in anger as he sensed a familiar dark presence.

"Are you okay?" Thorrnn asked her brother in concern.

The wolf didn't respond, and instead ran to the door.

**Meanwhile**

Akhos and the other Torna members were observing the rift from the Marsanes. The vortex around the rift had increased in size, spreading out away from the island, with the space around it becoming heavily distorted.

"C'mon Zeke, Malos," Akhos said. "Hurry up in there. Mikhail, what's our readings say?"

"I'm picking up movement inside the rift, but I can't tell what it is."

"What do you know?"

Mikhail swallowed nervously. "Just that its powerful."

Patroka groaned as she brushed her hair with her hand. "Still don't see the point on why we should care about this."

**Meanwhile**

Frank and the others were getting overwhelmed by the hordes of monsters. Every time one monster fell, two more took its place. Yuuki and Asuna were locked in combat with PoH, trying desperately to keep him away from the injured Silica as Sonum and Dromarch healed her. Both Yuuki and Asuna were exhausted and covered with injuries. Frank had summoned Roc to allow Mythra to recover while he battled against multiple monsters at once.

Roc unleashed a Doom Wind, sending three monsters flying into the wall, killing them, and Frank swung his dual scythes against another, landing a fatal blow. Unfortunately, the Driver was slowly being overcome with fatigue, leaving him vulnerable to a monster slashing its claws at his back, knocking the Driver to the ground. His scythes skidded a few feet away from him.

"Frank!" Mythra exclaimed in worry before she fell to her knees as Frank's injuries reflected onto her.

Frank watched as the monster raised its claw to finish him off. "I don't think so!?" Roc exclaimed as he retrieved his scythes and sucked the monster into a tornado, sending it flying into the air. The Blade then finished it off with his scythes as it fell to the ground.

"Thanks Roc," Frank said as he got to his knees. "Can you keep going, Mythra?"

The Aegis nodded. "Yeah. I won't let a few scratches bring me down."

They both rose to their feet, the Aegis Sword appearing in Frank's hands in the process. Frank kept Roc out, wanting as much help as possible. Mythra used Foresight to predict the enemies' attacks, allowing her Driver to counter them.

Meg and Brighid fought side-by-side, each wielding a whipsword. Meg blocked one monster's slash with her sword, leaving it open for Brighid to defeat it. Another two monsters tried attacking them from behind, but Ethan and Agil quickly killed the monsters before they had a chance. Ethan and Poppi then unleashed Quantum Judgement. Ethan began by doing a downward slash on one monster, cleaving it in half, before following it up with a spin attack. He then tossed the saber to Poppi, who jumped in and cut the remaining monsters near them to ribbons in a series of slashes.

Klein, Celina and Lisbeth chose to protect Sinon, as she wasn't good with close combat due to being a bow-user, from any monsters that chose to attack the Cait Sith. Zeke mainly focused on protecting Klaus, which thanks to his lightning-fast speed, was easy to do.

Dissatisfied that the fight was going on longer than expected, PoH shouted, "Enough!?" The Laughing Coffin leader released a dark shockwave that knocked the group off their feet. They all struggled to get up, though Zeke was able to get on one knee.

"How did he do that?!" Klein questioned.

PoH smiled cynically. "One of the benefits of serving the master of darkness. Now then," He approached Yuuki, who was lying on the ground, "Time for you to die, Absolute Sword."

Yuuki braced for the attack as PoH swung his cleaver to finish the Imp off, but suddenly a black wolf tackled the Red Player to the ground. Yuuki opened her eyes and saw Marth standing in front of her as he grabbed PoH's right leg in his jaws and threw him a good distance away from her.

Marth then changed back into his Spriggan form and glanced back at his girlfriend. "Sorry I'm late."

The Absolute Sword smiled with relief. "You're right on time." Yuuki then noticed Jin coming to Frank's aid as a monster tried to attack the downed Aegis Driver. Kirito and the others were busy helping the rest of their comrades.

Soon the monsters stopped moving, giving everyone a brief pause. Marth used that time to focus on PoH.

"Long time no see, PoH," the Spriggan said coldly. "I was hoping our paths would cross again. Now I can finally avenge all the lives you've taken."

"I am not so sure, Marth," PoH replied. "Or should I address you as 'the Dark Swordsman'? You and I have a score to settle."

Marth, however, was silent.

PoH cracked a sinister grin. "You spied on my guildmates, collecting the information you needed to organize a raid to wipe us out. Now it's time for _you_ to experience what I went through."

The Dark Swordsman remained silent though Frank could've sworn that he looked to be in pain for a brief moment.

PoH smiled in victory. "Honestly, I'm surprised you still use _that_ sword." He pointed at Marth's Lunara, which the swordsman had drawn, along with Solaris. "Doesn't it bring back all the memories of you killing my guildmates with it? I bet you tried to forget that you even did it. But you can't escape your past so easily. It's time for you to face what you've done."

The Alrestians and most of the Alfheim Warriors were silent.

Marth still hadn't said anything, prompting PoH to say, "What's the matter? _Wolf_ got your tongue?"

"Are you through with this crap, PoH?" Marth said coldly.

Not expecting that answer, PoH said, "What was that?"

"While it is true that I did kill during the crusade against Laughing Coffin, and I did have to deal with the horror of it eventually, I never once regretted it. I've played your games more times than I can count, PoH, but this time you won't get away." Marth pointed the tip of Lunara threateningly at the Laughing Coffin leader. "It's time to settle the score, once and for all."

PoH appeared to be disappointed, though it was hard to tell with his face being covered by his hood. "What a shame. I guess my master was right. No matter what happens, you'll always be a hero in the end. Minions, kill them all!"

The monsters prepared to advance on the group when suddenly Marth was surrounded by a dark aura, halting their movements.

"What the…?" PoH said in shock.

"You won't be hurting anyone else!" Marth declared as darkness surrounded him, spreading terror among the monsters. "This time, I won't hold back!"

Everyone watched as Marth began growing black scales and a tail while his eyes became golden. His body grew larger as wings sprouted from his back. Horns appeared on the back of his head and neck. Marth had just changed into a black dragon! He let out a mighty roar as the transformation finished.

The Alrestians were naturally surprised at seeing the transformation, but the Alfheim Warriors were all nervous.

"No," Asuna said slowly.

"This isn't good," Kirito added.

"Mind telling us what the heck happened to Marth?!" Frank questioned fiercely.

"Marth has the ability to change into a wolf and a dragon," Yuuki explained with a nervous look on her face. "They're called Wolf Heart and Dragon Soul. His wolf form is swift and strong, while his dragon form is both durable and super powerful. Nothing has ever been able to beat it. The only problem is that Marth can't fully control his Dragon Soul. I can't believe he would unleash it now of all times."

The Aegis Driver gasped in shock. "No way. It's that powerful?!"

One unfortunate monster foolishly charged at Marth, who simply clasped the monster with his teeth before hurling it into the wall, killing it. Another monster rushed at him, but the dragon cut it to ribbons with his claws. Marth then let out a feral roar.

PoH unexpectantly sneered. "Interesting. I never would've expected you to have _that_ power. I guess I'll just have to even things out." Suddenly PoH was surrounded by shadows. When the darkness parted, in PoH's place was a dragon with navy-blue scales and black markings.

Everyone was shocked, including the black dragon.

"Impossible," Klein said in disbelief.

"There's no way," Celina added. "How can PoH _have_ that power too?!"

"You're not the only one capable of Dragon Soul, Marth," PoH explained. "Thanks to my master, we are now equal in power, but unlike you, I can remain in control of it."

Marth growled in defiance as his eyes flashed with fury. Both dragons then roared at each other in challenge before ramming their heads together. A barrier of darkness then separated them from the monsters and the group.

"Crap," Kirito said as he tried at slashing the wall with his swords, but they simply bounced off it. "We have to help Marth! If he loses control…"

"It's no use, Kirito," Asuna told her boyfriend. "PoH said he was promised a one-on-one fight with Marth. We can't interfere."

The Black Swordsman turned towards the Undine. "But, Asuna, you're the only one who can stop Marth if he goes berserk. You need to start chanting the Lost in Thoughts spell before he does."

Asuna quickly sensed danger and immediately turned and killed a monster that tried to attack the duo while they were talking. "I'm sorry, Kirito, but there are too many monsters here for me to try using it because of how long the chant is," she said grimly. "I'm afraid Marth's on his own this time."

Kirito gritted his teeth in frustration. "Damn it," he cursed before glancing at his partner, who was locked in a fierce combat with the Laughing Coffin member.

"Don't give in, Marth," Kirito muttered desperately under his breath. "Don't let the dragon control you."

He and Asuna then noticed that monsters were beginning surrounding Klein, Ethan and Poppi. There were too many of them for the trio to handle.

"A little help here!?" Ethan shouted frantically.

The duo hurried to their aid, as did Jin and Nia. Meanwhile Marth continued fighting PoH alone, neither one giving in. Both dragons clawed at each other and smashed each other into the walls and floor.

"You've gotten stronger, Marth," PoH remarked. "But you still won't win against me."

Marth then let out a pain grunt as he felt himself losing control again. _"No… not now,"_ the Dark Swordsman thought to himself. _"I just gotta… hang on a bit longer."_

Marth then unleashed a breath of black fire. The flames collided with the navy dragon, pushing it back a few feet. When the flames parted, it revealed an unharmed PoH.

"Is that all you've got?" PoH mocked.

Suddenly Marth's eyes turned purple as the black dragon's fury overwhelmed his senses, causing him to let out a feral roar.

Yuuki, who was fighting one of the monsters, heard the roar and turned towards her boyfriend. "Marth," she said in worry.

The two dragons charged at each other again. Marth recklessly slashed at PoH, who easily evaded the attack and bit into his neck, causing the black dragon to roar in pain. PoH then proceeded to throw Marth into the barrier, causing dark energy to overflow through his body and making Marth feel immense pain before collapsing on the ground.

"Marth!" Kirito and Yuuki shouted in worry.

"Brother!" Thorrnn cried out as she watched the black dragon try to pick himself back up but failed.

PoH let out a sinister chuckle as he held his opponent down with one claw. "How disappointing," the Laughing Coffin leader remarked. "To think that you would lose to the dragon's fury so quickly. I expected more out of you, Dark Swordsman."

Marth simply let out a weak growl as he closed his eyes before finding himself sinking into the darkness of his mind.

'_It's no use,_' the Dark Swordsman thought. '_I can't beat PoH, even with Dragon Soul. What do I do now?_'

Suddenly Marth heard Kirito shout, "Don't give up, Marth!"

'_Kirito?_'

"Get up, Marth!" Asuna shouted.

"Don't you dare lose to a guy like PoH!" Sinon exclaimed.

"C'mon, bud, fight back!" Klein added.

"You're the wielder of Lunara and Solaris!" Celina cried out as she blocked a monster's attack with her shield. "You can still win this. I know you can!"

"Please get up, Marth!" Thorrnn pleaded desperately. "Remember your promise!"

"Come on, Marth!" Yuuki shouted. "Take him down!"

Marth could also hear the rest of the Alfheim Warriors also calling out to him.

_Your friends haven't given up on you,_ a voice said.

"That voice," Marth said slowly, recognizing it to be the same voice from before. "Who are you? Where are you?"

Suddenly a black dragon with golden eyes appeared before the Spriggan. The dragon was bipedal, had two sets of wings on its back, horns on the back of its neck and a trident-shaped tail (based off of the Mirror Force Dragon from Yugioh.)

_I am Critias, _the dragon replied. _I am the one who entrusted you with the power of Dragon Soul. Now then, are you going to let your friends down or will you fight back?_

"Of course, I'll fight back!" Marth declared. "I can't let things end here! Critias, lend me your power so I can beat him."

The dragon appeared to crack a toothy smile. _You already have it, _Critias said. _Remember the bonds you share with your friends and you will maintain control of my power. Now rise and fight back!_

"I will!" Marth exclaimed in determination as dark light radiated from him.

Back in the real world, Marth's body began emitting dark light, forcing PoH off of him.

"What?!" the Laughing Coffin leader said in confusion.

Everyone watched as the black dragon rose to his feet and took on the appearance of Critias.

"No way," Frank said in disbelief.

"Marth's dragon form just changed," Klaus added.

Marth then opened his eyes, revealing them to be gold once more before letting out a mighty roar.

"I'm ba-ack!" Marth declared, his voice containing an echo.

PoH's eyes widened in surprise. "No. It can't be. You…"

"Gained control of Dragon Soul, you bet I did," the black dragon finished. "Now then, I believe it's payback time."

PoH let out a growl. "We'll see. Die, Marth!"

The navy dragon charged at the bipedal dragon, but Marth easily dodged before grabbing PoH by the neck and tossed him into the wall, injuring the Laughing Coffin leader before collapsing.

"Impossible," PoH said in shock as he struggled to pick himself up. "I can't lose to you!?"

The black dragon let out a growl. "It's over for you, PoH!" Marth then unleashed a massive stream of black fire and purple lightning at the navy dragon. The attack created a smoke cloud, and once it cleared, it revealed Poh in his human form. He was covered head to toe with cuts and burns. It was clear that the Laughing Coffin leader was on death's door.

Suddenly the monsters all dissolved into shadows as Marth returned to his Spriggan form, revealing that he was covered in injuries, but they were quickly healing. The dark barrier also vanished, prompting the group to hurry to Marth. Frank also recalled Roc.

"That's six lives you've taken, Marth," PoH remarked as his body began to dissolve into shadowy light. "Killing me will not bring you peace. It will destroy you."

Marth, however, looked unfazed and stayed silent. Surprisingly, PoH then laughed cynically.

"What's so funny?" Kirito questioned.

"I am but the weakest of the master's servants," PoH explained. "Even if you reach the spire, you will never return to your world. _He'll_ stop you, and he'll kill all of you."

"What?" Frank exclaimed. "Who are you talking about?!"

"You'll find out soon," PoH said. "Have fun dying." And with that, the leader of Laughing Coffin closed his eyes before his body vanished in dark light. No trace of him was left, not even his sword.

The air grew tense as PoH's last words rang in the group's ears.

"What did PoH mean by, '_he'll_ stop us'?" Sonum asked nervously. "What's waiting for us at Temporal Spire?"

"Who knows," Zeke said. "He might have been trying to unnerve us. But we should still remain on-guard."

Yuuki eyed her boyfriend with a smile. "You did it, Marth," the Absolute Sword said. "You brought that monster to justice."

"No, I didn't," Marth said solemnly, surprising everyone.

"What do you mean you didn't?" Lisbeth questioned. "We all saw you kill PoH with our own eyes."

"That wasn't PoH," Marth explained. "That was just a phantom based on him, just like all the other enemies we've faced on this island. The real PoH is still in our world, alive."

"No way," Yuuki said in disbelief before perking up. "But hey, at least you finally mastered Dragon Soul. That transformation you did was awesome."

The Dark Swordsman gave his girlfriend a light smile. "Yeah, it was."

_"Thank you for your help, Critias,"_ Marth said in his head before facing the others. "We can't just stand around here all day. Let's keep going."

"Yeah!" everyone said in agreement, with Pina adding a screech. However, no one noticed Klaus staring at the Dark Swordsman in surprise.

_'There's no doubt about it now,'_ Klaus thought to himself. _'It _is_ him. After all these years, I've finally found him.'_

**To be continued**


	14. Chapter 14: The Demon King

**Chapter 14- The Demon King**

The group had finally reached the final floor of Temporal Tower, with the spire being a stone's throw away, standing in front of the stairs leading up. The fights had become much harder the higher they went. Not only did the group have to battle monsters, but the Tower's guardians as well. Klaus explained that the guardians were meant to keep monsters out of the tower, but after the fall of Arc Sophia, the guardians were corrupted by the darkness and joined the monsters.

Both Frank and Marth felt very uneasy about being so close to the spire.

Meg noticed this and asked, "Brother, Marth, are you feeling alright? We can take a break if you need to."

They both shook their heads. "I'm okay. It's just," Frank said while holding his right arm with his left, "I feel a dark presence above us, and it's super powerful."

"You sense it too?" Zeke questioned.

"I do too," Marth added. "Do you have any idea what it could be?"

The masked Torna leader nodded. "I have a hunch on who it is but pray that I am mistaken. If I'm not, then none of us will probably get out of here alive."

"Great," Ethan said in mock excitement. "I just _love_ going to my own death."

Poppi slapped her Driver upside the head. "That is not helping morale, Ethan. Try to keep those comments to yourself."

Ethan winced from the pain. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry! It slipped."

The corridor went silent. "Let's go," Frank said finally.

The group proceeded up the staircase. Soon they found themselves on Temporal Spire. Ruined stone columns made of the same stone were scattered everywhere. In the center of the spire was an altar. Above the group was a colossal black vortex swirling around a purple crack in the sky, emitting lightning of the same color.

Suddenly Marth tensed up as he sensed a dark presence. "Someone's here!" he growled.

"Finally," a voice boomed. "You have arrived at last, Marth, Mythra."

"Who said that?!" Thorrnn shouted as she scanned the area. "Show yourself!"

A man in a black cloak appeared in front of the altar. He had a hood over his face and appeared to be unarmed, but he also had a threatening aura around him.

"Who are you?!" Malos demanded as he drew his sword.

The man chuckled. "I am Jarrod, the Demon King, and the second in command of Zeta, the God of Darkness. I have been waiting a long time for this moment."

Marth gasped in shock while Frank's eyes widened. "Did you just say 'Jarrod'?" the Aegis Driver questioned. "Are you the same Jarrod who bullied me and my friends back on Earth?"

"Oh, goodness no. That boy isn't related to me in the slightest! I am much worse than some school bully." Jarrod removed his hood, revealing his midnight-black hair and glowing red eyes.

"What do you want?!" Kirito exclaimed.

"It's a long story. Long ago, when there was only one world, my master wished to plunge it in shadow," Jarrod explained. "He succeeded and laid the land to ruin. However, the mortals were too stubborn to accept defeat and tried desperately to defeat the Army of Shadow. Eventually a young man, a girl, and their friends climbed up this very tower in an attempt to destroy my master, and free their world from the darkness. The young man carried a sword of light and shadow, and with the help of the girl, landed the final blow to kill Zeta. However, Zeta was cunning. In his final moments, Zeta used what little remained of his power and split his soul into fragments, scattering them across time, allowing him to go into slumber and conquer multiple worlds when he regained his strength.

"I was there watching as he learned of my master's intent. The boy refused to have other worlds suffer the same fate as his, so he used his power to split his own soul into fragments, allowing him to be reborn in many worlds to fight against Zeta when he awakened. His name…was Zane, now known only as the Twilight Hero. And those two," Jarrod gestured to Marth and Frank, "are two of his reincarnations."

"What?!" the group shouted in shock.

"We're…Zane's…reincarnations?" Marth stuttered.

"The girl, also known as Celine, the Dawn Priestess, then split her soul as well. She cared deeply for Zane and refused to let him face my master alone. Two of her reincarnations are here as well." He gestured to Mythra and Yuuki. "Though they go by different names and look very different, they are two of Celine's reincarnations."

Once more, the group was shocked.

"That can't be?!" Mythra retorted. "I'm not a human! I'm a Blade! Blades aren't born the same way as humans!"

Jarrod laughed cynically. "When it comes to magic, anything is possible. It matters not what you are, the soul remains the same. However, before Zane split his soul, he discovered me watching and sealed me in the Sword of Light and Shadow, so I couldn't help my master. For millennia, I was trapped in the Lunaris. But in the World of SAO… something unexpected happened. The sword split in two, becoming the Lunara and Solaris."

"What?!" Marth exclaimed in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

"The Lunaris is bound to its champion," Jarrod explained. "It will always alter itself to match the champion's fighting style in that world so that he can use it. The reason the sword split in your world, Marth, is because of your Dual-Wielding skill. In fact, I should thank you for that. The seal keeping me trapped in the sword was weakened when it became the Lunara, and when you came to retrieve it…"

The Dark Swordsman's eyes widened in realization. "You were let out. So it _is_ you after all. I remember that me, Kirito, Asuna, Klein, and Yuuki fought you at the Temple of Twilight. But you should be dead. I killed you myself!"

"True, you did kill my physical form, or should I say my virtual form, but my spirit survived and found it's way here. It was then that I found out that remnants of Lord Zeta's power remain in the spire. It allowed me to regenerate my body, and I could begin preparations for my master's return."

"What are you talking about?!" Jin demanded. "I thought you said your master was gone."

"But remember, I said that Lord Zeta was not slain. He currently sleeps, slowly regaining his strength so that he can bring destruction once more. By sacrificing certain souls, I can use the power remaining in Temporal Tower to hasten Zeta's return, so he can destroy this world."

Marth gritted his teeth. "And what souls do you need to sacrifice?" he asked, already guessing the answer.

"The soul remnants of the Twilight Hero and the Dawn Priestess would do nicely," Jarrod explained. "However, though their spirits are powerful, not all remnants are equal in power. You see, when Zane and Celine split their spirits, they unintentionally weakened themselves. This also caused an imbalance of power between their soul fragments. Here's an example: while Mythra, Celine's Alrestian Remnant, is exceptionally powerful, Yuuki is much weaker than her. Another is that Frank is not as powerful as Mythra, despite being from the same world as her. That power difference is what kept me from capturing the both of them, since it wasn't enough to awaken my master. To make up for this, I used Temporal Tower, which is connected to all worlds, to search the dimensions, looking for any other Twilight Remnants of the hero who is equal in power to the Aegis. When I found the Remnant you know as Marth, who met such requirements, I used the tower to create a rift between his world and this one to bring him here, though it also brought his friends here as well."

"You're the one who created the spacial rift!?" Frank shouted in anger.

"But of course. I knew that once Gleam Eyes was slain, that Marth had arrived. However, instead of trying to capture him and Mythra, I chose to let them come to me. Once I offer up your souls, I can unite Zeta's Remnants that dwell within the two worlds, allowing him to awaken once more."

"You're insane if you think we'll help you with your crazy plan!" Mythra retorted.

"Yeah!" Yuuki added. "I won't let you sacrifice my boyfriend or Mythra!"

Jarrod smirked. "Who said I was giving you a choice?"

Suddenly a magic circle appeared below the group. Marth and Mythra, out of pure instinct, back flipped away from the circle, while everyone else was consumed by an explosion of black energy. The Dark Swordsman and the Aegis watched in horror as the dust cleared and revealed the others on laying on the ground, unable to move.

"No!" Marth and Mythra shouted.

Jarrod laughed cynically. "Very impressive, Marth, Mythra. I should've expected as much since you are equal in power. That gives me more of a challenge trying to capture you both. I do love a good challenge."

Marth gritted his teeth as he faced the Aegis. "You up for a fight?"

Mythra simply smirked as her Aegis Sword appeared in her right hand. "Of course. We can't let him get away with this."

Marth drew his swords and charged at the demon, with Mythra close behind. Jarrod quickly summoned a large two-handed sword, as well as covered himself in crimson red armor, and quickly parried the duo's attacks. Marth then fired a blast of lightning from Lunara, but Jarrod easily dodged it.

"This'll be tough," Marth said.

"Well, what did you expect?" Mythra replied. "He did incapacitate our friends with a single attack."

Suddenly Jarrod fired a barrage of dark magic missiles at the duo, but Mythra protected them with her defense barrier. Unfortunately, she missed one, and when she lowered the barrier, the missile hit her right in the chest, forcing her to her knees.

"Mythra!" Frank exclaimed in worry before he felt the injury reflect onto him.

"One down," Jarrod remarked. "Now for you, Dark Swordsman!" Jarrod fired another barrage of dark magic missiles at the duo.

Suddenly Marth got in front of Mythra and readied Lunara while also putting Solaris back in its scabbard.

"What are you doing?" Mythra questioned.

Marth simply smirked. "Just watch." Marth swung Lunara around a few times before resting it on his shoulders, prompting the blade to glow blue, as he activated Deadly Sins. When the nearest projectile was in range, Marth swung Lunara down at it, cutting through the base of the spell. He then spun before slashing through several more projectiles. He concluded the Sword Skill by performing a backflip and cutting through the remaining projectiles with Lunara.

Everyone, minus Kirito, who grinned, was shocked at the sight as smoke enveloped the Dark Swordsman, who retained his confident smirk.

"He cut through spells," Asuna said in disbelief.

"How is that possible?" Ethan asked.

Even Jarrod was stunned. "How did you do that?"

"Easy," Marth replied confidently. "Compared to a bullet from a high-powered rifle, knocking down high-speed spells is nothing." He turned around and offered his free hand to Mythra. "This isn't over yet. Let's put this guy in his place."

The Aegis smirked before taking Marth's hand, allowing the Spriggan to help her to her feet. "You read my mind."

The others were still in recovery from Jarrod's spell, so all they could do was watch.

"Jarrod is powerful, as well as his defenses," Mythra said as Marth redrew Solaris. "But if we can land a strong enough blow that can pierce through his armor, that should be the end of him."

"Sounds good to me. Let's go!"

Marth and Mythra charged at the Demon King, but he forced them back with magical explosions. One of the explosions caused the stone floor underneath Marth to crumble, causing him to fall in.

"Marth!" Yuuki shouted in worry.

Suddenly Marth flew out of the hole, black Spriggan wings on his back.

"You can fly?!" Mythra exclaimed in shock as the Spriggan landed next to her.

Marth looked over his shoulders and noticed his wings. "Yeah, in ALO, everyone can fly. I didn't think it would work here though, not that I'm complaining." An idea then appeared in Marth's head. However, before he could share it with the Aegis, they had to hide behind a stone pillar to avoid a dark energy beam from Jarrod.

"I just realized something. If I can access my ALO powers, maybe I can access my avatars from other games."

"Well what are you waiting for? Give it a try!"

Marth closed his eyes as he focused his thoughts of his time in GGO. Suddenly the Dark Swordsman was surrounded by silver light. His hair turned silver and grew to waist length, while his face became more feminine. His trench coat gained a silver chestplate while its colors inverted. Lunara morphed into a silver deactivated photon sword while Solaris disappeared. An FN-97 then appeared in a holster that was strapped to Marth's waist. Marth then opened his eyes, revealing them to be a sapphire-b;ue.

"Uh," Mythra said. "Did you just switch genders?"

Marth examined himself before answering. "No," his voice was a little higher pitched too. "I'm still a guy. This is my avatar from GGO. It just looks very feminine."

"I bet that was fun," Mythra said with a mischievous smirk.

Marth groaned. "More like a pain. Guys constantly kept hitting on me. It got super annoying real quick. Anyway," he activated his photon sword, revealing a silver energy blade while drawing his firearm with his other hand, "we have a fight to finish."

The duo then charged at Jarrod, who was shocked at Marth's appearance change. "You're stronger than I thought, Marth. You've learned how to access your different abilities in the heat of battle. Most impressive."

Jarrod then unleashed a barrage of dark spells at the duo. Marth smirked as he saw red pathlines for each of the spells. He proceeded to cut through the spells with his photon sword while Mythra used Foresight to avoid the spells. They soon closed the distance between them and the Demon King.

Jarrod attempted to raise his sword in defense, but Marth fired a round from his gun, hitting the demon's shoulder and allowing Mythra to strike the demon with Lightning Buster, which was a downward slash followed by a spin attack.

"I won't lose here!" Jarrod proclaimed. "Not when I'm so close!"

Mythra then fired a particle beam from her Artifice down on the demon, stunning him, as well as knocking his sword away. The Demon King's armor was covered with cracks.

"Too bad," Marth said as he switched to his SAO avatar. Lunara reappeared and his gun was replaced by Light Repulser. "But that's exactly what's going to happen. Starburst Stream!"

Marth then unleashed the devastating 21-hit Sword Skill on the demon, making deep gashes in the demon's chest and destroying what remained of his armor.

Jarrod promptly fell to his knees as he struggled to breathe. "Impossible. H-how could I lose?"

"You made the mistake of underestimating us," Mythra remarked as Marth returned to his ALO avatar, regaining Solaris.

Their comrades soon rose to their feet. They all praised the duo for defeating the Demon King on their own. In their relief to see their friends' alright, Marth and Mythra failed to see Jarrod slowly approach the altar.

"How?" Jarrod said as he clutched his wounded side. "This was not supposed to happen. I was to use Marth and Mythra to revive my master and plunge this world into despair."

Marth overheard this and scoffed. "Don't you know anything?" he said. "The future isn't set in stone. We make our own destiny, not let someone else choose it for us."

The Demon King growled in frustration. "It seems I have no choice. If I cannot offer up you and the Aegis, then I will use a substitute instead!"

"What do you mean?" Zeke questioned fiercely.

Suddenly a barrier surrounded the altar, preventing the group from attacking the demon. They could only watch as Jarrod was being consumed in dark fire.

"What's he doing?" Silica asked in fear.

"No," Klaus said, horror etched in his voice. "Jarrod's offering his own soul to revive his master. He must be stopped now!?"

Despite their best efforts, no one in the group could break through the barrier, not even Marth and Mythra, who were both using their full power. A pillar of dark light shot out of the altar, straight to the vortex's core. The group had to shield their eyes to avoid from being blinded by the intense light.

"Lord Zeta," Jarrod chanted. "Accept my offering and be free to wreak havoc on this world. Plunge it into despair and crush anyone who resists."

The Demon King's body then disappeared, as did the pillar of light. However, the vortex grew stronger as the rift began to open. The sky grew dark as two orbs of dark red light descended to the altar, before the orbs merged into one. A man in black armor, which seemed to be made of hardened darkness, then emerged from the shadows of the altar. His eyes were pure black with not a single trace of light in them. Draped on his back was a crimson red cape. Strapped to his waist was a large black sword.

"At last," the man boomed. "After thousands of years, I am finally free!"

Marth gripped his swords tightly. "He's here," the Spriggan said, fear on the edge of his voice. "Zeta, the God of Darkness."

Zeta let out a cynical laugh as he looked directly at Marth and the other Remnants. "Well, well. Long time no see, Zane, Celine. Now then…prepare to die!?" Zeta prepared to unleash a large beam of dark energy on the four.

**To be continued**


	15. Chapter 15: The God of Darkness

**Chapter 15- The God of Darkness**

Marth and the others were barely able to dodge Zeta's attack, which instead reduced several stone pillars to rubble. Zeta wasn't finished as he smashed his sword into the ground, sending a shockwave towards the group. The Blades (except Malos) combined their defense barriers to protect everyone while Marth and Thorrnn enforced it with the spells Stormveil and Fire Wall respectively, but the shockwave ended up destroying the merged barrier, knocking them all back.

"What… power," Ethan said.

"Man we're so dead," Agil added.

Marth and Frank, however, charged at the god. Zeta easily parried the Dark Swordsman's attacks with his swords, while Frank used that time to strike his legs with the Aegis Sword but was shocked when Zeta quickly countered him as well.

"How?" Frank said in disbelief as he and Marth quickly jumped back to avoid the dark god's sword.

Zeta chuckled, his voice having an echo. "I am a god. I cannot be defeated by mortals like you."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Marth said as they fought. "But I recall your second-in-command stating that we did beat you before."

"That was when your soul was whole," Zeta explained. "As Zane, you possessed immense power that rivaled my own, as did Celine. I am a different case, however. While I myself am a Remnant like you, I possess two parts of my soul, restoring some of my lost power, making it greater than yours. Though you and Mythra are powerful Remnants, you still cannot match my strength."

Marth's body was then surrounded by an electric aura. "Wanna bet?" he retorted before raising Lunara skyward. "Mjolnir's Wrath!"

Suddenly storm clouds began to gather above the pillar. Several bolts of purple lightning rained down on the Dark God, who shielded himself with a dark barrier. The barrier cracked upon impact before it eventually shattered, creating a smoke cloud that covered the spire. The smoke quickly cleared, revealing a mostly unharmed Zeta, though it was clear the attack had left an impact on him. Purple electricity sparked out of the Dark God's body as he had some trouble moving, but quickly recovered.

Zeta then sneered at the Dark Swordsman, who still had lightning around him. "Is that the best you can do?" he taunted.

Sinon gritted her teeth in frustration. "That's just great," the blue-haired Cait Sith said. "He just took one of Marth's strongest attacks like it was nothing. How are we supposed to beat him?"

"You can't," Zeta answered simply before he unleashed another shockwave, sending the group flying backward. Zeta then fired a barrage of dark energy blasts at the group, injuring them even further.

Nia, Sonum and Asuna quickly used healing moves on their comrades. Zeta fired a shadow beam from his sword in an attempt to stop them, but Meg, Brighid and Thorrnn protected them with a wall of fire. Mythra then sent a particle beam down on the god, damaging him somewhat.

"Nice shot," Frank praised.

"Thanks," Mythra replied. She then activated Foresight, allowing her and Frank to predict Zeta's next attack, which was a charge towards them. Frank was able to block Zeta's attack with his sword, but the impact forced him to his knees.

Meg and Brighid quickly unleased Soulfire, forcing the dark god away from the Flamebringer's brother. Sinon shot a volley of fire arrows at the god, with some slipping through some of the weak points of his armor. The arrows soon disappeared as Klein, Agil and Malos charged at Zeta. Zeta easily parried their attacks, however, Zeke managed to slash at the god's back with his sword while he was distracted.

Zeta grunted in pain before turning to face the masked man. "Well, well," he said. "I didn't expect to see you here, not after what happened from our last encounter. How is _she_, by the way?" Zeta had a cynical sneer on his face.

Zeke's eyes flared with rage. "You'll regret mentioning her!" he declared as he readied his sword. Zeke then charged at Zeta, sparks flying as their weapons clashed.

Zeta knocked the Torna leader aside and saw Marth charging at him. Marth promptly jumped in the air, clashing his Lunara against Zeta's as the former descended. The Spriggan, unable to overpower his foe, back flipped away, before landing gracefully on the ground. Marth then saw Zeta charge at him, sword raised. The Dark Swordsman barely managed to dodge the first attack before blocking the second with his swords. They each stood there, trying to overpower the other.

"You're still the same as ever, Zane," Zeta commented as he slowly began pushing back against the swordsman.

Marth encased himself in purple lightning, trying desperately to push back his opponent with his magic. "My name… is Marth!" the Spriggan declared.

Zeta chuckled in amusement. "No matter. You will fall in the end, as will your friends."

Marth and Zeta then clashed swords at high speeds multiple times, with neither one giving in. Suddenly the Dark Swordsman activated Vorpal Strike with Lunara and lunged at Zeta's chest. Zeta easily evaded Marth's attack, causing the dual-wielder to slide past him. The Dark God then sneered as he turned around to finish the Spriggan off with an overhead slash, only to gasp in shock as he saw that Marth had turned around and activated Horizontal Square with Solaris.

Marth began by dodging the Zeta's attack by moving to the right while striking its side horizontally. He then turned around and performed another horizontal slash from right to left on Zeta's chest, causing the god to grunt with pain. Marth spun around until he was facing the Zeta's back and did a third horizontal slash on it. The Dark God got behind him and tried swinging his sword at Marth's head, but the swordsman ducked out of the way. Marth then spun around and performed the final hit of the Sword Skill, which was a forehand strike across the top part of the Zeta's chest.

The streaks from Marth's sword drew a square which quickly dispersed as he then activated Vertical Square with Lunara. The Dark Swordsman began the Sword Skill by performing a downward vertical slash, striking the god in the chest before following it up with two upward slashes, striking the same place before concluding with a downward slash. Just as before, streaks from Marth's sword drew a square before quickly fading.

"How's he doing that?!" Nia exclaimed. "I thought you guys said Sword Skills caused a motion delay when they're used."

"They do," Kirito confirmed. "But Marth and I found an exploit that allows us to chain One-Handed Sword Skills by alternating hands, canceling the motion delay and allowing us to attack consecutively. We like to call it Skill-Connect."

"Amazing," Frank said in awe.

Marth then activated a lightning Sword Skill with Solaris, stabbing Zeta's stomach while also paralyzing him, before doing an upward slash as he activated his wings and jumped into the air. The Dark Swordsman then rested Lunara on his shoulder as he activated Vorpal Strike once more.

"Take this, Zeta!" Marth shouted as he lunged his right sword at the god while descending. Zeta was unable to move due to the Spriggan's last attack and could only watch as he was impaled with Lunara, causing him to howl in pain as black blood poured from his wound when the Shadow Blade was removed.

"You'll pay for that, you worm!" Zeta declared as he prepared to strike the dual-wielder as he froze up from the motion delay.

"Sacred Arrow!" The two opponents looked up and saw a barrage of light arrows rain down upon them. Marth quickly jumped back while Zeta got the full brunt of the attack. The Dark God howled in pain as the arrows damaged him.

Marth then saw Frank, Mythra, Jin and Yuuki running to him.

"Thanks for the save," Marth said.

"You're welcome," Frank replied as he saw Zeta recover and engage with Kirito, Asuna and Malos. "Zeta's strong. Even with all of us working together and that Skill Connect of yours, we're not making much progress."

"Reminds me of the time when the Assault Team battled the Skull Reaper."

Mythra raised an eyebrow in confusion. "The What Reaper?"

"The Skull Reaper was a floor boss back in Sword Art Online," Marth explained hastily. "Its stats were through the roof; it could kill high level players with a single strike, while we hardly did any damage to it. We won in the end, but fourteen players lost their lives."

Frank gritted his teeth in frustration. "But we can't give up. If we fall here, Zeta will destroy Alrest."

"There must be something we can do," Yuuki said desperately.

Suddenly Zeta was surrounded by a black aura. "Enough! I grow tired of this game! I will end you all in my true form!"

"True form?" Malos questioned.

Both Zeke and Klaus were filled with fear. "No," Zeke said in fear.

Everyone watched as Zeta became a massive flaming demon. He had curved horns on his head and dark wings on his back. His sword grew to match his size.

"How are we supposed to beat that?!" Klein shouted in shock.

"Now perish!" Zeta unleashed a massive breath of black fire at the group. Everyone braced for the attack, but nothing happened. Frank was the first to look and noticed a certain black dragon protecting them with his wings.

"Marth!" the Aegis Driver shouted in disbelief.

The black dragon's wings began shining as they absorbed the fire before redirecting it back at Zeta, scorching his right arm.

"No way!" Sinon, Lisbeth, and Celina exclaimed in shock.

"How did you," the Dark God questioned before his eyes widened in recognition. "Critias, you're still alive?! Impossible!"

"That doesn't matter!" Marth roared. "You won't be harming anyone here, Zeta!"

"Says who?" Zeta mocked.

"We do!" Suddenly a golden particle beam struck the god in the chest, forcing him to the ground. The group looked up and saw a white Artifice descending from the sky.

"Is that what I think it is?" Frank questioned.

Mythra nodded in confirmation. "Yes. That's my Artifice, Siren." She then recalled the Aegis Sword to her, confusing her Driver.

"What are you doing?"

"An Aegis can pilot an Artifice directly. I'm going to use Siren to help Marth fight Zeta. You need to stay here. I can't focus on the fight if you're in danger."

"But…"

Mythra didn't stick around to hear what her Driver wanted to say. Instead, she hurried over to her Artifice and merged with its crystal before taking off.

"Ready, Marth?" Mythra asked.

"You bet!" Marth replied as he took to the sky.

Zeta rose to his feet and pursued the duo and began fighting the dragon and Aegis. While they were battling, monsters soon appeared and began attacking the group.

"Oh, come on!" Kirito exclaimed as he fought off anything that approached him. "Don't we have enough to deal with already?!"

"Just focus on fighting!" Zeke ordered.

Frank summoned Roc in order to defend himself as he stood back to back with Jin. Not only did the group have to deal with monsters, but they had to avoid any attacks from the battle raging in the sky. Gold particle beams, purple lightning, black fire, and blasts of darkness rained down from above, destroying anything around them on the island.

"There's so many of them," Frank said. "At this rate, we'll be wiped out."

Jin gritted his teeth as he wondered what to do. '_This can't end like this,_' the swordsman thought. '_I made a promise to Lora, and I intend to keep it. I will protect my friends, no matter what!_'

The air suddenly became ice cold, causing everyone to stop fighting, except Marth, Mythra and Zeta, who continued to battle in the sky, unaware of what was happening below.

"What the… Why's it getting so cold here?" Ethan asked in confusion.

'_Can it be?_' Klaus turned and saw an icy aura around Jin and smiled. '_So Jin has finally chosen to reveal his true power. Good, we'll need it._'

Three monsters charged at Frank and Jin, but the latter fired a volley of icicles at them, killing them.

"What the?" Frank said in shock. "How did you do that?"

"I'm through with hiding who I am." Jin removed his mask, revealing a blue Core Crystal on his forehead. "I will not allow any more people I care about to die! Not anymore!"

"Jin… Y-you're a Blade?"

The newly revealed Ice Blade nodded. "I am. I was once the strongest Blade in Torna, calling me 'the Paragon of Torna', before it fell in the Aegis War. My Driver, Lora, gave up everything to seal me away so that I could be there to help Mythra and the others when they reawakened. Klaus then found me and sent me to you for your protection. I never thought I'd resonate with anyone again, not after Lora, but I know now that I want you to be my new Driver."

"Are you sure?" Frank asked.

"Yes." He held out his nodachi. "Now let's show these things the true power between a Driver and Blade!"

Frank smirked as he dismissed Roc and took the nodachi from Jin. The Aegis Driver began hacking through monsters as Jin supplied power. Their actions motivated the others and they began killing monsters left and right with a renewed vigor.

"Soulfire!" Meg and Brighid shouted as they swung their whipswords, killing a horde of monsters with a stream of blue flames.

Kirito unleashed Eclipse and killed any monster that got near him or Asuna. Even Malos pulled his weight around by helping to protect the healers. Soon all the monsters were killed.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, the battle raged on. Zeta swung his sword at the black dragon, but Marth barrel-rolled out of the way before unleashing a black-fire breath attack, burning the demon's leg. Mythra, on the other hand, kept her distance as she kept firing her particle cannon at Zeta whenever she got an opening.

"This has gone on long enough!" Marth declared. "Mythra, let's finish this!"

"I hear you!" Mythra then fired a massive particle beam which merged with a black fire-and-lightning breath attack from Marth. The combined attack pierced through Zeta's chest, causing him to revert to his human form as he fell to the spire.

Marth and Mythra then descended to the spire and landed gently. The dragon reverted back to his Spriggan form while Mythra exited Siren and sent it back into space.

"You win this round, Marth and Mythra," Zeta said. "But next time we meet, things won't end the same way. The darkness cannot be contained. I will return! When I regain my full power, even you won't be able to defeat me." The dark god's body then fully disintegrated, leaving nothing but two orbs of purple light, which quickly disappeared.

"We shall see, Zeta," Marth said before he and Mythra returned to their friends. The rift and the vortex around it then vanished from sight, revealing the clear, starry night sky.

There was a moment of silence until Ethan interrupted it. "Is it…over?" he asked nervously.

"I think so," Zeke replied. "However, Zeta is darkness incarnate. The only way to kill him for good is when his soul is complete. However, Zeta would be at his full power if that happens."

Most of the group were hopelessly confused.

"So is Zeta gone or not?" Lisbeth said.

"Hard to say," Mythra answered with her arms folded. "But given the thrashing Marth and I just gave him, I can't imagine him being able to return from that."

"Ditto," the Dark Swordsman agreed.

"Okay," Kirito said, trying to process the information. "So what now?"

"With Zeta defeated, the rift between our two worlds has closed," Klaus said. "In mere moments, Marth and his friends will be returned to their world."

Frank gave his counterpart a sad look. "I knew this was going to happen eventually, but it's still sad. I wish we could hang out more. There's a lot you could teach me."

Marth chuckled. "I feel the same way. I'm sure our paths will cross again sometime." The Spriggan extended his hand to the Aegis Driver.

"Yeah," Frank said as he grasped Marth's hand and shook it. "Our bonds will transcend time and space itself."

"Goodbye Mythra," Yuuki said to her counterpart.

Mythra, surprisingly, cracked a smile. "See you around, Yuuki."

The Imp then whispered in the Aegis's ear, "Good luck with Frank, by the way. I'm rooting for you."

Mythra's face went red with embarrassment. "Sh-shut up!"

"Goodbye everyone," Silica said as she, Celina and Lisbeth were surrounded by blue light before vanishing.

"I don't wanna go just yet!" Klein protested as he, Agil, and Sinon were soon surrounded by the same light. "I might find my soulmate in this world!"

Agil playfully slapped the samurai on the shoulder. "I'm sure she's waiting for you back in _our_ world," the Gnome said. "We don't belong here anyway. It's time for us to go home."

"Just my luck I'm going back with you, Klein," Sinon groaned in annoyance before the trio disappeared.

"Goodbye Meg," Thorrnn said to her counterpart. "It's been fun. I really enjoyed hearing about all the embarrassing stories about your brother."

Meg gave a mischievous smile. "And I enjoyed hearing about similar stories of Marth."

"You did what?!" Frank and Marth shouted, prompting everyone else to laugh.

"Take care of yourself, Thorrnn," Meg said.

"You too, Flamebringer." Thorrnn and Leafa then disappeared into blue light.

"It was awesome meeting you all," Kirito said. "I can't wait for the next time we get to fight together. Maybe next time we can have a friendly duel!"

Asuna shook her head in exhaustion. "You never change, Kirito." The Spriggan scratched his head sheepishly.

"Goodbye everyone!" Yui said cheerfully while sitting on her father's shoulder. The pixie and her parents were then surrounded by blue light and disappeared, leaving just Marth and Yuuki.

"Here," Marth said as he placed something in Frank's hand.

Frank looked at the item and saw that it was a small grapple gun that could be strapped to the wrist.

"I want you to have this," Marth explained. "I got it as a quest reward back in Alfheim, but I don't need it. I think you're better suited for it than me."

Frank struggled to find words. "Th-thank you," he said finally.

Marth smiled. "It's the least I can do. Remember, destiny is not pre-determined. It is forged from our own decisions."

"I will." Frank then strapped the grapple gun to his right wrist.

Marth then faced Mythra. "You know, we make a pretty good team. It was cool fighting by your side, Mythra."

"Yeah, it was, surprisingly enough," the Aegis replied. "Take care of yourself, Marth."

Marth and Yuuki stood together as blue light began to envelop them. "Time to go," the Spriggan said.

"Goodbye everyone!" Yuuki said while waving fiercely.

The duo then faded away.

Zeke approached Frank and said, "With the rift gone, our truce has come to an end. The next time we meet, it will be as enemies."

"So be it," Frank replied. "See you around."

A black ship that resembled a submarine then appeared, hovering near the tower. Zeke and Malos boarded the ship before setting off. Frank watched silently as the ship disappeared into the horizon.

"Finally," Ethan said in relief. "They're gone."

"I'm a little sad to see them go," Sonum admitted. "Zeke and Malos really helped us out in a pinch."

"How unfortunate that they will always be our enemies," Dromarch added.

"Everyone," Azurda cried out. "Look!"

The group turned and saw the sun slowly rising from the horizon, bringing forth a new dawn. Frank couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"I never thought it would feel so satisfying to see a sunrise," the Aegis Driver said. "It's… breathtaking."

Klaus then summoned his ship, prompting everyone to get on board. As they sailed away from Temporal Island, Klaus gave the Drivers the choice on where they wanted to go. Sonum wanted to return to Gormott, with Ethan tagging along. Meg chose to go back to Mor Ardain, claiming that she had important duties to do as Special Inquisitor. Frank, on the other hand, returned to Leftheria, with Nia going as well.

**Hours later**

Frank, Mythra, Jin and Nia were back in Fonsett Village. The village children immediately bombarded them with questions about what happened. The group tried their best to answer them to the best of their ability, before Corinne noticed how exhausted they were. Frank and his friends ended up going to their rooms in Corinne's house for a much-needed rest.

**To be continued**


	16. Chapter 16: Journey To Elysium

**Chapter 16- Journey to Elysium**

It has been a year since Frank and his friends came to Alrest. Frank has become a much better Driver since then, thanks to Jin and Mythra's coaching and the occasional monster hunts. He also became much more knowledgeable of Alrest's history. At the moment, Frank was standing by the cliff near the edge of the village, staring at the World Tree. He had modified his overcoat to include a hood, which was sturdy enough to hold Azurda for the small Titan to sit in whenever they travel. He also had a black ring on his right ring finger that had the Ardainian royal crest etched into a blue gemstone, which was a gift from his sister.

"There you are, Frank," a voice called out.

The young Driver turned around and smiled. "Hey Pyra," he greeted casually. "What's up?"

The Aegis seemed nervous about something. "I…I have a request to make. Can you…take me to Elysium?"

Frank looked at the Blade curiously. "Elysium. Isn't that at the top of the World Tree?"

Pyra nodded. "Yes, and it was my home long ago. I have some memories of it, but they're shattered and distorted. I want to see it again, and so does Mythra."

A swirl of emotions flew through Frank's head, luckily, he was able to maintain his composure. "I'll admit I am curious to see this Elysium for myself." Frank looked towards the World Tree in the horizon. "An endless field of green among the clouds, at least that's what they say it is. With the Titans dying off, living space is running out. Maybe if we can go there, people wouldn't have to live in fear. Alright, if that's what you want to do, then let's go to Elysium."

Pyra smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, Frank," she said.

Azurda, who was in Frank's hood, chose that opportunity to join in on the conversation. "And just how are you planning to get to Elysium?" the Titan questioned. "In case you've forgotten, the World Tree has been surrounded by the Great Void ever since the Aegis War ended. Not to mention that it is guarded by the Artifice, Ophion."

Frank scratched his head sheepishly while Pyra looked saddened at the mention of the Artifice, which didn't go unnoticed by her Driver.

"Good point," Frank said. "It might be a good idea to get the gang back together. That way we'll have a much better chance of reaching Elysium. Ethan and Sonum should still be at Gormott, so it should easy to get them to come. We might have some trouble with Meg since she's the Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain. And I've got no idea where Jason and Mika are, so it'll be tricky getting their help as well."

The trio decided to discuss the matter with Jin and Nia. After finding them by Corinne's porch, Frank explained what they wanted to do.

"So you and Pyra want to go to Elysium?" Jin questioned.

"Yes," Frank replied. "We also want to bring the rest of our friends with us too. What do you think?"

"It sounds daft if you ask me," Nia said. "How do you even know if Elysium really exists?"

"Nia!" Jin scolded.

"Pyra said that she and Malos came from Elysium," Frank said. "That's enough for me to believe it's real."

Jin sighed. "If that's what you want to do, then I have no objections," the Blade replied. "But if we're going to be climbing the World Tree, we'll need information."

"Makes sense. Do you know anyone who could help us?"

"I remember Klaus mentioning a man named Cole who lives in Uraya. Apparently, Cole knows a lot about Alrest, including the World Tree."

Frank folded his arms and thought for a moment before saying, "Okay. How about we go to Gormott, pick up Ethan and the others, and then head to Uraya to meet this Cole person."

"Sounds like a plan," Pyra said. "Nia, would you like to come?"

Nia was silent before sighing in defeat. "Fine, I'll come. Besides, things would get rather boring here without you lot."

"I'm coming along too," Azurda added.

Frank smiled. "Thanks guys. Let's go tell Corinne goodbye, then head out."

"Right," everyone else said.

Corinne was very supportive of the group's decision to leave and provided them some basic supplies for the trip. The whole village saw the group off as they left Fonsett. The group then journeyed to the southern harbor in order to board a ship to get to Gormott. Along the way, they ran into a handful of monsters, but they easily took care of them.

Even after Jin revealed that he was a Blade, Frank kept him out for support, only using Jin as a Blade whenever he felt it was needed. It wasn't long until the group reached the harbor. After paying a small fee, they boarded a ship to Gormott. Cabin space was limited so Frank, Azurda and Jin shared a room, while Pyra did the same with Nia. The voyage lasted for two days until they arrived at Torigoth.

"Okay, where exactly did Klaus say the base was?" Frank asked sheepishly as they got off the ship.

Nia groaned in annoyance. "Did you seriously forget something like that?" she snapped. "It's in a cliff on the lower left section of Torigoth."

Frank raised his hands defense. "Hey, I haven't exactly been to Torigoth. I've only seen it from Klaus's ship. Anyway, let's go."

The group followed Nia's instructions and headed for the base. As they walked, Frank noticed people staring at him and Pyra, but mostly at Pyra.

"Maybe I should've worn a cloak or something," Pyra said nervously. "I'm a little self-conscious."

"That's one thing we have in common," Frank replied. "I don't like being stared at either."

Nia chuckled in amusement. "Relax you two. They're only staring because Pyra's the Aegis. After a while, they'll stop."

"Why does that not make me feel any better?" Frank remarked.

The group then arrived at Klaus's base, where they found Sonum, Ethan and their Blades. Ethan was doing some modifications on Poppi, though her ether furnace still wasn't fully ignited, while Sonum was grooming Dromarch's fur. After exchanging a few casual exchanges, Frank explained the situation and that they could come if they wished.

"An endless field of green, you bet I want to see that," Ethan said. "Count me and Poppi in."

"Dromarch and I are coming too," Sonum added. "Someone's gotta help Nia with healing."

Everyone laughed at the comment. "Thanks guys," Frank said with a smile. "This means a lot. Do either of you have anything you need taken care of here before we head to Uraya?"

"Now that you mention it, there is one thing," Ethan said. "Ever since the consul was fired by Meg for insubordination, things have gotten pretty chaotic here in Torigoth. We've spent the last three months trying to keep the peace, which isn't easy since there are some Gormotti who don't like Mor Ardain's occupation."

"A few days ago, Ethan and I received word that a small group of bandits have been pillaging villages on the outskirts of Gormott," Poppi took over. "They completely destroy every place they attack, rarely leaving even a single survivor. We only heard about them by coming across some survivors by accident, children who lost everything."

Frank unconsciously tightened his fists in frustration.

"According to the children," Dromarch explained. "The bandits plan on raiding Torigoth. With the consul gone, it's the perfect opportunity to launch an attack. Master Ethan and my lady wish to stop the bandits before that happens. Master Frank, will you help us?"

Nia looked a little skeptical. "I don't know if this is a good idea," she said nervously. "I recall a similar situation where you four almost died if not for Meg and Brighid's intervention. Not to mention Marth's as well."

Sonum's eyes filled with remorse. "That was because of my own stupidity. I've learned a lot from my mistakes. We're also a lot stronger than last time, and we'll have more help, including the legendary Aegis and the Paragon of Torna."

Jin folded his arms. "You do have a point," the silver-haired Blade admitted. "Plus, I doubt the bandits would be expecting an attack, much less from us. If we play our cards right, we can defeat them with ease."

"Well Frank," Pyra added. "What should we do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Frank said. "Of course we'll help. I know all too well the pain of losing something. When my home was attacked, I lost a lot of friends and family. I'm not going to let anyone else go through that!"

Azurda chuckled in amusement. "I knew you would say that," the Titan remarked. "Ethan, do you know where these bandits are?"

The brown-haired Driver nodded. "Yes. Their hideout is in Boulderbore Gate, northeast from here. Unfortunately, the way's blocked by an ether miasma. You know, the toxic fumes that Titans sometimes produce."

Frank smirked confidently. "Oh, that won't be a problem."

Sonum looked at the Aegis Driver, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see when we get there."

Only Pyra, Jin and Nia knew what the Aegis Driver was talking about, having witnessed it themselves. The group, now joined by Ethan, Poppi, Sonum and Dromarch, left the house and Torigoth.

Gormott was covered in large plains with some small woods. There were also rocky cliffs that could be seen far in the distance. Ethan led the way to the bandit's hideout. Along the way, they were attacked a pack of Volffs, but Ethan and Sonum easily took them out, demonstrating their improved strength. However, their victory was short-lived as a large Volff appeared, seeking to avenge its fallen comrades. A dozen smaller Volffs then surrounded the group

Frank smirked as he casually approached the monster, who roared in his face.

"I accept your surrender," Frank said jokingly, with Ethan and Sonum looking at him like he was crazy.

The Volff lunged its jaws at the black-haired Driver, who simply back flipped out of the way towards Pyra.

"Ready, Pyra?" Frank asked as he drew his sword.

Pyra nodded and said, "Let's go, Frank."

The duo held the Aegis Sword together and raised it skyward. "Burning Sword!" they shouted in sync as a pillar of fire shot out of the blade. Frank and Pyra brought the Aegis Sword down on the Volff, cleaving it in two. The other Volffs looked shocked.

"Anyone else?" Frank asked, prompting the remaining Volffs to panic and flee.

"Dang Frank," Ethan commented. "You've gotten stronger too. I was kinda expecting you to use Mythra and take all the Volffs out at once."

"Don't you think that's a little overkill?" Frank questioned. "I tend to only go all out in certain situations. Besides, Pyra is very handy in tight spaces, unlike her sister." It took them a while to realize he was referring to Mythra.

The group continued on to Boulderbore Gate, which was a small rocky canyon with a cliff leading to a waterfall. By the time they arrived, it was already evening. True to Ethan's word, there was an ether miasma blocking the way.

"Showtime," Frank said. "Roc!"

The Wind Blade then appeared by his Driver's side. "Need something, Frank?" Roc asked.

"Yes. There is an ether miasma blocking the way. Think you could clear it up?"

"Of course. Clearing miasmas is easy." Roc summoned his scythes and took to the air. He then summoned a strong gale of wind and sent it at the miasma, causing it to quickly dissipate.

"Wow," Sonum said in awe. "That didn't take long at all."

Roc landed softly on the ground. "I did say it was easy."

"Roc showed us his ability to clear ether miasmas when we encountered one in Leftheria," Pyra explained. "We were stuck in a cave and the miasma was blocking the only exit."

Roc then disappeared, awaiting the next time he would be summoned, while the others continued down the now unblocked path. They quickly found a small cave with light coming out of it. The group quietly approached the cave, keeping to outer wall. Voices could be heard from inside.

"When are we leaving, Boss?" a male voice asked.

"Soon," another voice, also male, replied. "It's finally nighttime. We'll wait a little while and strike Torigoth when they'll least expect it. I can already hear the screams. It's music to my ears."

Frank growled in disgust. "Let's take these guys down," he said. "Remember, we're not here to kill anyone, just knock them out."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement before rushing into the cave. The cave was very small and had only three people inside, two of whom were Gormotti while the third was Urayan. The only issue was that they had Blades of their own.

"What?!" the Urayan, who looked to be the leader, exclaimed. "Who the hell are you?!"

"This isn't a place for kids," the first Gormotti said. "Get lost!"

"Not a chance," Frank retorted. "You're not attacking Torigoth on our watch!"

The Urayan laughed, as did his minions. "The kid thinks he can take hardened brigands like us just because he has a Blade. You just signed your death warrant for you and your friends."

The second Gormotti glanced at Pyra and reeled back in surprise. "An emerald Core Crystal?! It can't be? That's the Aegis!"

The first Gormotti gasped in fear while the Urayan maintained his composure. "So the rumors about the Aegis returning were true," the brigand leader said. "I never would've thought it would have a whelp like you for a Driver. We're in luck, boys, the Aegis will be a much better prize than raiding Torigoth. Take them out!" The three brigands drew their weapons. The Urayan had twin rings, the first Gormotti wielded a megalance, and the second wielded a greataxe.

Frank and his friends drew their weapons in response. "Like I'd let you lay a finger on Pyra!" Frank exclaimed in defiance.

The Urayan charged at the Aegis Driver, swinging his twin rings, which were parried by Frank's sword. The lance Gormotti tried to attack Ethan, but Poppi protected her Driver with her Blade barrier. Sonum then struck her rings against the lancer's side, causing him to scream in pain. Ethan promptly knocked the lancer out by hitting his head with the flat of the blade.

Jin and Nia easily defeated the axe-user, who's Blade tried to protect him using his defense barrier, but Jin took advantage of it by distracting the Driver and Blade while Nia snuck behind the Driver and hit his head hard, causing the axe-user to black out.

The Urayan went into a frenzy at seeing his minions defeated by teenagers, and Jin, and began relentlessly attacking Frank.

As he dodged the Urayan's attacks, Frank shouted, "Jin!"

"On it!" Jin tossed his sword to his Driver, who caught it with his left hand while wielding the Aegis Sword in the other.

"Ultraslash!" Frank exclaimed as he swung his nodachi at the Urayan.

The Urayan's Blade tried to protect him with its defense barrier, but it shattered when the Art hit, knocking both the Blade and its Driver back.

Now the Urayan was afraid. "S-so strong. Who are you?"

Frank didn't answer and instead held his swords in an x-manner. The Aegis Sword ignited into flames while the nodachi was encased in ice. Frank swung his swords at the enemy Driver, sending a blast of fire and ice at him. The attack hit dead-on, knocking both the Driver and his Blade out.

Sonum and Ethan were amazed at what they saw. "Cool!" Ethan exclaimed in excitement. "I didn't think it was possible to combine Blade powers like that."

Frank smiled at his friends. "One of the few things I experimented with after returning to Leftheria. Comes in handy every now and then."

Sonum's eyes filled with envy. "I wish I had other Blades like you, Frank. It's not fair that I only have one."

"My lady, please show some consideration to Master Frank," Dromarch advised. "We will find other Core Crystals for you to resonate with eventually."

Sonum sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'm sorry, Frank."

"It's all right. Don't worry about it."

Footsteps could be heard outside the cave. "Right on time," Frank said as he spotted a dozen Ardainian soldiers marching to the cave.

"What's Ardainian soldiers doing here?" Nia asked.

"Right before we left," Pyra explained, "Frank and I went to one of the commanders and told them the situation. He didn't believe us at first, but after Frank showed him his ring, the one Meg gave to prove his heritage, he did. He said it would take a while to mobilize a strike team on short notice, but that they would come as soon as they could."

"I see," Sonum said, catching on. "That's why you told us not to kill them. You want to hand them over to the authorities."

Frank nodded in confirmation. "There's more than one way to avenge a village, one that doesn't involve killing." He then saw the Ardainian commander enter the cave with his soldiers. "Commander Anthony, they're all yours."

Anthony bowed his head in respect. "Thank you, Driver of the Aegis. We'll take it from here." As the group prepared to leave, he added, "I'd watch yourself if I were you, Lord Frank. Everyone in Alrest knows that an emerald Core Crystal is the sign of the Aegis. Be careful during your travels."

"Thanks for the advice. I'll be careful, for both me and Pyra's sake."

Instead of going back to Torigoth, Frank and his friends chose to camp out half-way in a small clearing. Pyra made the fire; Ethan, Poppi and Nia went out to gather food; while Frank, Jin and Sonum set up the tents, which could compact to be small enough to fit inside one's pocket, making them easy to carry.

After dinner, most of the group went to sleep, with Frank and Pyra awake to keep watch. To pass the time, the duo chose to treat each other's injuries. Frank ended up flinching as Pyra bandaged his arm.

"Sorry," she said. "Did I wrap it too tightly?"

"N-no, it's fine," Frank said quickly. "I can move it around just fine." He swung his bandaged arm to prove his point but quickly felt a burst of pain in response.

Pyra gave an all-knowing smirk. "Knew it." She redid the bandages, making them not as tight as they were.

"Thanks," Frank said. "It feels better already."

"I'm sure that's Nia's poultice doing its job." Pyra then began wrapping her injured arm but was having trouble doing it.

"Let me," Frank offered before he took over bandaging the Blade's arm.

Pyra gave her Driver a thoughtful look. "Thank you, Frank."

"No problem. Least I can do after all the times you've helped me." After a few minutes, Frank was done.

Pyra held up her bandaged arm and said, "Looks good." She then lowered her arm to be parallel with Frank's. "Look, we match."

Frank, trying to hide his unease, stuttered out," Y-yeah. We do."

"Do you regret me giving you half of my Core Crystal? If you want, I could remove it."

Frank quickly shook his head. "No way. Sure it's not helpful us sharing injuries in certain situations, but I like it. It's almost like…a sign of our bond."

Pyra was speechless.

"What made you want to transfer half of your core to me anyway?" Frank asked curiously.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself," Pyra admitted. "I remember that during my slumber, there was this voice that told me to give half of my core to the first person I met when I woke up. It must be fate that that person was you, Frank."

"Maybe. Any idea whose voice it was?"

"I don't know. I feel like I know them, but I can't remember. Regardless, I'm glad it was you. I can't imagine having anyone else for a Driver."

"Thanks. Hope I'm not too much of a disappointment for you and Mythra," Frank said jokingly, prompting them both to laugh.

A small breeze picked up, sending tiny embers of the campfire into the air.

"Beautiful," Frank commented.

"It is," Pyra replied.

"It's probably because you made it, Pyra." The Aegis gave her Driver a questionable look, prompting him to quickly add, "Wait, that came out wrong. I mean you're good at making fires, is all."

Pyra gave her Driver a light smile. "It's what I do." She snapped her fingers, causing a small flame to hover over her hand. Pyra then blew on the flame, scattering it through the air, making a dazzling sight.

Frank inwardly sighed in relief. Ever since they first met, Frank has had feelings for both Pyra and Mythra, which only grew stronger after Zeta's defeat at Temporal Tower. He didn't know if either Pyra or Mythra felt the same way about him, but didn't have the courage to ask, or which girl he truly had feelings for. Turns out fighting monsters is easier than confessing your feelings to a girl.

Jin woke up after a few hours to take the next shift, allowing Frank and Pyra to get some sleep. The next day, the group quickly broke camp and returned to Torigoth. They then boarded a ship heading for Uraya.

"Hey Jin," Frank said. "Do you know where this Cole person is in Uraya?"

"According to Klaus, Cole is the owner of a theater in Fonsa Myrma, Uraya's capital. It should be easy enough to find."

"I hope he'll be able to help us," Sonum said.

"Have faith my lady," Dromarch replied. "I'm sure that he will."

**To be continued**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17- Return of the Thunderbolt and the Chaosbringer**

Frank and his friends have arrived at Fonsa Myrma. They looked around for Cole's theater and quickly found it thanks to a friendly citizen. Right by the entrance was a poster that caught Frank's eye.

"'The Legendary Aegis'," he read aloud. "There's a play about the Aegis War?"

"Looks like it," Ethan replied. "It's not uncommon for people to tell historical events through plays and movies."

"Can we check it out?" Sonum asked eagerly.

All eyes turned to Frank. "Uh, sure," he said before peeking inside. "Looks like it's pretty packed, but there should be some seats left."

The group entered the building and into the auditorium. There, they took the nearest seats they could find and watched the performance. On the stage was the set piece of a ship with a man on it. In front of the ship were three actors dressed like monsters.

"Oh, Architect!" the man declared. "Grant me your power!"

A woman dressed in white, with wings of the same color, descended to the stage.

"There it is! The Aegis! Please, Aegis, lend me your power to banish this evil."

Frank looked at the actress questionably. Her costume didn't come even close to resembling Mythra at all. '_Guess details on appearance tend to fade over time,_' he thought.

The "Aegis" released a shower of confetti down at the man, prompting him to jump from the ship and defeat the "monsters".

"And so the hero, Addam, and the Aegis defeated the darkness," another man said. "But not without a price. Three great Titans fell in the battle, sinking to the Cloud Sea's bed forever."

The "Aegis", who was now lying down on the stage, was then picked up by the actor. "We are forever grateful to you, Aegis," he said. "I will see to it that you are remembered for eternity, and that your power will not be abused by those with evil hearts."

The actor then carried her to the back of the stage, disappearing from sight. A roar of applause came from the audience.

"That was… interesting," Frank said before noticing Pyra's unease.

Before he had a chance to question her, he was approached by a little girl with light blue hair.

"E-excuse me," the girl said slowly. "But is she your Blade?" She pointed at Pyra.

Frank nodded. "Yes. Her name is Pyra. Mine is Frank. What's got you interested in her?"

"Her Core Crystal, it's just like how Grandpa described the Aegis's. Grandpa told me to keep an eye out for it."

"Who is your grandfather?" Pyra asked, joining in on the conversation.

"His name is Cole. He's in charge of this theater," the girl said. "Oh, my name is Iona by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Iona," Frank said. "Talk about a coincidence. My friends and I came here to talk with your grandfather. Can you take us to him?"

"Of course. Follow me."

Iona led Frank and his friends out of the auditorium and into a storage room that also seemed to be an office. Inside was none other than Cole.

"Grandpa," Iona said. "Some people are here to see you."

Cole turned to face the group and gasped when he saw Pyra and Jin.

"Pyra. Jin," he said in disbelief. "It's been a long time. Who are your Drivers?"

"Me," Frank replied.

Cole examined the black-haired Driver from head to toe. "You're their Driver? But you're so young."

Frank scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"My apologies," Cole replied. "What did you want to see me about?"

"Jin told us that you know a lot about Alrest," Sonum explained. "Do you know how to reach the World Tree?"

Cole was silent for a moment. "In my long life, I've seen many things. Have you attempted going to the World Tree yourselves?"

"No sir," Ethan said. "With Ophion guarding it, we haven't even tried getting close to the tree."

"A wise decision. As I'm sure you're all aware, there was a man who climbed the World Tree and reached Elysium. Before I go into further detail, I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?" Frank questioned.

"May I speak with the Aegis in private?"

Frank looked at the old man in suspicion. Before he had a chance to respond, Pyra said, "Of course. I don't mind."

"You sure, Pyra?" the Aegis Driver asked.

Pyra nodded. "Yes. We can trust him."

Frank sighed in defeat, knowing he couldn't change her mind. "All right. If you're okay with it, then I am too."

Cole led Pyra into a separate room, closing the door behind them.

"Your Driver seems nice," Cole remarked.

"He is. It's good to see you again, Minoth."

Cole let out a small chuckle. "It's been a long time since I've heard that name. You've changed a lot since we last met five hundred years ago."

"Well Mythra did construct me to replace her after the Aegis War, but Addam managed to convince her to not seal herself away forever."

"I remember that conversation. Have you…used _that_ power again?"

Pyra's eyes filled with guilt before she switched to Mythra. "Yes. As much as I hate to admit it, I've had to use my power as the Aegis multiple times since my return."

"Please be careful, Mythra," Cole warned. "I don't think the world can handle it a second time."

"I know."

"I'm sure you saw the play. I'm sorry if it brought back any painful memories, I just wanted people to know what happened all those years ago."

Mythra shook her head. "It's alright. There were some good memories. Although your play did have some inaccuracies, like my appearance."

Cole found himself cracking a grin. "I see your tongue is as sharp as ever. That man is the only one who knows how to get to the World Tree. Do you think you can make it to him?"

Mythra then reverted back to Pyra. "Of course," she said. "I mean, it's my destiny. Will you help us?"

"I will."

The duo returned to the other room, where Cole told the others that he would help.

"Now where did I put it?" Cole wondered aloud as he looked around the room for something. He soon began coughing horribly.

"Grandpa!" Iona exclaimed as she hurried to her grandfather.

"Are you alright?" Frank asked in concern.

"I'll be… fine," Cole said through a fit of coughs. "Just… give me… a moment."

Jin shook his head. "No, we better call it a day."

"Alright," Cole said reluctantly. "Come back tomorrow. There's something I want to give you."

"Okay," Frank replied.

Frank and his friends then left the theater and wandered around the city.

"What should we do?" Ethan asked curiously. "It's still early in the day, and I'd rather not waste it just sitting around."

All eyes turned to Frank. "Why are you all looking at me?" the Aegis Driver said.

"Because you're our leader, duh," Sonum stated.

Frank scratched the back of his head. "I don't remember us making that decision."

"Okay… All who think Frank should be leader, say 'aye'," Sonum replied. All but Frank said "aye". "That work for you, fearless leader?"

Frank slouched in defeat and sighed. "That's not what I meant," he said. "Never mind. Let's look around and see if there are any mercenary jobs available. We will need to do something to earn money for food and travel."

The others agreed with their leader and searched the city for any possible jobs. They soon found one from a soldier. Apparently, a part of the Urayan Titan's stomach has closed off, and they need someone to go investigate the cause and fix it. Not wanting to be picky, Frank and his friends accepted the job and left for the stomach.

The Urayan landscape was very different compared to Gormott's. There were springs as far as the eye could see, as well as rocky cliffs. A strong breeze was blowing from the north, sending glowing red pedals fluttering in the air.

"Pretty," Sonum commented in awe.

"Indeed," Dromarch agreed.

Suddenly Jin tensed up and stared at a nearby boulder.

"Something wrong?" Nia asked.

The Ice Blade immediately relaxed. "It's nothing," Jin passed off. "Don't mind me."

Nia looked at him questionably, clearly not believing him.

"Let's get moving," Jin continued. "We won't reach our destination by standing here."

Frank simply shrugged and continued to lead the group to the stomach. Unbeknownst to them however, four cloaked individuals were watching them from behind the boulder.

After two hours of walking, the group finally arrived at the closed off section of the stomach, which was a cave. There, they saw that a swarm of Parisax monsters had invaded the area, which caused the Titan to instinctively block it off.

"This'll be interesting," Nia commented. "What's the plan?"

Frank paused to think before saying, "Nia, Sonum and Dromarch will focus primarily on healing while the rest of us are fighting the monsters. Try to build up Blade Combos whenever possible, as well. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes," the others replied.

The Drivers, and Jin, drew their weapons before they all charged at the Parisax monsters. The Parisax charged at the group in response. Frank cut through two monsters with his sword, while Ethan unleashed Soaring Tempest to send multiple monsters flying into the air before throwing his saber to Poppi, who soundly defeated them with a Noponic Axion.

As Jin parried a monster's attack, he noticed there were large egg sacs in the corners of the cave. It took him a second to recognize them.

"Guys!" Jin shouted in warning. "There are Parisax nests here!"

Sonum muttered a curse under her breath. "That's just great," she said before using Healing Halo to heal her teammates' injuries.

"Ethan, Poppi," Frank exclaimed, "Take out those nests before they hatch! The rest of us will cover you."

"Roger, roger!" the artificial Blade replied before following her Driver to accomplish their task.

Nia and Sonum then joined the fray, helping Frank and Jin keep the Parisax monsters' attention off of Ethan and Poppi.

"Vorpal Slash!" Ethan exclaimed as he cut through an egg sac, killing its contents.

The adult Parisax screeched in rage. They tried to attack the saber-user, but Frank and the others kept getting in their way. It wasn't long until Ethan destroyed all the remaining egg sacs.

"All done!" Poppi shouted.

"Nice work you two," Frank responded, "Now let's finish these things off!"

The Drivers and Blades circled around the adult Parisax, surrounding them. Frank and Pyra then unleashed Burning Sword, Ethan and Poppi used Quantum Judgement, while Sonum and Dromarch used Dark Maelstrom. The Blade Specials completely devastated the Parisax, killing every single one of them.

When the final Parisax died, a passageway on the other side of the cave opened up.

"That went well," Frank said as they sheathed their weapons. "Great job, everyone."

"Hard to believe that we used to struggle against monsters like those," Ethan noted. "We've come a long way since we fought Malos and Akhos."

"We have," Poppi agreed. "I calculate that our power has increased by 300% since our first encounter with Torna."

Sonum smiled confidently. "Hear that, guys? We're super strong now!"

"Be careful, milady," Dromarch said. "One must not be too confident in their abilities."

"Indeed," Azurda added.

"You're no fun, Dromarch," Sonum deadpanned, prompting everyone else to laugh.

"Well then," Jin said. "Shall we head back?"

Frank nodded in agreement. "Let's return to Fonsa Myrma and tell our employer the good news."

The group then left the cave and proceeded back to the Urayan capital. However, when they were on a clifftop, a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Well, well, well," the voice (which was male) said. "Looks like we finally found the legendary Aegis."

Four cloaked individuals appeared in front of the group, two appeared to be male and the other two appeared to be female. The group immediately went on-guard.

"That's quite the burden you've got there, being her Driver," said the other cloaked male. "You sure you can handle it?"

"Huh?" Frank said in confusion.

"If you can't then step aside and let the big boys take charge," said the first male. "Hand over the Aegis, now."

Jin glared daggers at the four. "Okay, who are you?!" he demanded.

The four removed their cloaks, tossing them to the side. Frank, Sonum, Ethan and their Blades (minus Jin) gasped in shock as they recognized the group.

"Jason?!" Frank shouted in disbelief. "Mika?!"

"Pandoria and Kasandra too!" Pyra added.

"Long time no see guys," Kasandra said while waving excitedly. The Dark Blade's Core Crystal now had a triangular hole on the left (Kasandra's left) side, something the party found odd.

Both Nia and Jin faced their friends in confusion.

"Do you guys know these people?" Nia questioned.

Sonum nodded. "Yeah. They're our friends who came to Alrest with us. Why are you guys after Pyra?"

"That's none of your business," Mika replied before making eye contact with Frank. "Are you gonna hand over the Aegis or not?"

Frank stood protectively in front of Pyra. "Sorry, Mika," said the Aegis Driver, "but I won't let anyone take Pyra and Mythra. Not even you. I made a promise to protect them, and I fully intend on keeping it."

"Frank," Pyra said quietly, her eyes filled with awe.

Jason chuckled in amusement. "I knew you'd say that." The Tantalese prince drew his sword and got in a fighting stance. "Well then, let's see if you have the strength to back up those words."

The Chaosbringer brought out his hammer. "Don't underestimate us. We're not the same inexperienced Drivers you knew before."

"Likewise." Frank and his group drew their weapons and readied for battle.

The opposing groups then charged at each other, Frank and Jin locked in combat with Jason while the others battled against Mika. Fire and ice clashed against lightning. Despite being outnumbered, both Jason and Mika held their own.

Jason matched Frank and Jin blow for blow, and both Pandoria and Pyra protected their Drivers with their defense barriers when possible.

"You've gotten a lot stronger, Jason," Frank commented as their weapons clashed, causing sparks to dance in the air.

"Thanks," the Tantalese prince replied as they locked swords. "You have too. But you're holding back. You're not using the Aegis's true power." Much to Jason's surprise, Frank smirked.

"Just because I'm not using Mythra, doesn't mean I'm a pushover," Frank said before forcing the Tantalese away. "Jin, now!"

"Understood." The Ice Blade threw his nodachi to his Driver, who subsequently caught it with his left hand. Frank, Jin, and Pyra then began radiating a gold aura.

Frank slammed his nodachi on the ground, sending a wave of ice at Jason and Pandoria.

Jason's sword then began emitting lightning. "Dynamic Spark Sword!" he shouted as he performed three slashes, cutting through the ice and making it sail harmlessly past him and his Blade.

"Are you alright, my prince?" Pandoria asked as she noticed her Driver taking a heavy breath.

Jason glanced briefly at the Electric Blade and nodded. "Yes. Frank's attack was stronger than I thought. I never thought that Frank would get another Blade, much less having it fight alongside him like that."

"That Blade looks really strong too," Pandoria added. "I think he nearly rivals even Mythra's power."

Jason looked Frank in the eye and said, "Impressive, Frank. I've never seen a Driver wield two different Blade weapons like that. You're really one of a kind."

Despite the situation, Frank cracked a smile. "You aren't too bad yourself."

The two Drivers then charged at each other, sparks flying as their swords clashed. In the meantime, Mika was beginning to have a harder time dealing with three opponents at once, especially since two of them were healers. Both Nia and Sonum managed to injure his arms and he was barely able to block Ethan's Steady Beam with his hammer. However, Ethan and the others had also taken some hits as well.

Ethan's left leg was sprained, but Nia easily healed it with an Art. Sonum had taken a blow to the chest, which knocked the wind out of her lungs, but Dromarch protected her while she was recovering. As for Nia herself, she got hit by Kasandra's Secret Desire, taking a toll on her stamina.

"Is that the best you've got, Mika?" Ethan taunted.

Mika smirked. "Not even close. Wulfric!" Suddenly Mika's hammer disappeared and was replaced by a black lance with a blue x-shaped blade as a black demonic-looking Blade appeared behind him.

Nia clenched her teeth. "Drat. He's got another Blade."

"Powerhouse Swing!" Mika shouted. He spun his lance in the air before slamming it on the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked Ethan and the others off their feet. They all struggled to stand back up.

"He's strong," Ethan said.

"Our chances for victory are 45%," Poppi added. "A new strategy is required."

Mika rested the end of his lance on the ground. "How do you guys like my new Blade, Wulfric? Jason and I got his Core Crystal after defeating an Arachno he was resonated to. He's really helped us out in a pinch since then."

Wulfric nodded in agreement. "We are…friends. I will…protect my friends…no matter what."

Ethan and the others managed to get back on their feet, but they all looked exhausted.

"Don't get cocky, Mika," Sonum warned. "Dromarch, let's go!"

"Understood!" the tiger Blade replied as his Driver jumped onto his back. The Water Blade then charged at Mika before unleashing Wild Roar.

Wulfric blocked it using his defense barrier, but suddenly both Ethan and Nia charged at his Driver.

"Poppi, now!" Ethan exclaimed.

Poppi, who was wielding her Driver's saber, acknowledged and flew at Mika before unleashing her Quantum Judgement, hitting the enemy Driver with a barrage of slashes. Mika subsequently fell to one knee, using his lance for support.

"It's over for you," Nia declared as she rushed towards the downed Driver.

Suddenly Mika's lance, along with Wulfric, disappeared as his hammer materialized in his hands. "Delta Shield!" Mika's hammer morphed into a shield, blocking Nia's attack. He then bashed the Gormotti with his shield, sending her flying back to her teammates.

"Mika's certainly not making it easy for us," Ethan commented. "He must be really serious about this."

Poppi glanced over to their leader, who was still fighting against Jason with no clear winner. She also noticed the cliff edge and got an idea.

"Ethan, we should rejoin with Frank and the others and force Jason and Mika to the edge of the cliff," Poppi suggested. "That way they won't have much room to avoid our attacks."

Ethan nodded in acknowledgement. "Okay. Let's do it. C'mon guys."

They all ran to Frank, with Mika and Kasandra in hot pursuit.

"You won't escape!" Mika exclaimed.

Jason, who was locking swords with Frank, saw Pandoria use her defense barrier to protect him from Ethan's Vorpal Slash. He then had to jump backwards to avoid Sonum and Nia's attacks.

"Looked like you needed a hand," Ethan said to the Aegis Driver.

"Thanks, Jason's tough."

"Do any of you have a plan to defeat them?" Pyra asked.

Poppi then explained her idea to them.

"Sounds risky," Azurda said. "If we're not careful, we could fall off the cliff instead."

Frank handed Jin's sword back to the Blade. "Well it's better than nothing. Ethan, you attack from the left. Sonum and Nia will take the right. Leave the front to me and Jin."

They all acknowledged their orders and obeyed. Once in position, Ethan and Poppi used Noponic Axiom on Jason, but Pandoria blocked it with her defense barrier, however the barrier shattered from impact, knocking both her and her Driver back. Sonum and Nia then used their Jaguar Slash on Mika, knocking him and Kasandra back as well.

"Rolling Smash!" Frank shouted as he gripped the Aegis sword with both hands and slammed it into the ground, creating a shockwave of flames which merged with Jin's ice and pushed Jason, Mika and their Blades near the edge of the cliff.

Everyone looked exhausted.

"You're all…really strong," Mika stated in-between breathes. "But you won't win after I unleash my super-duper-ultra-mega move."

"Yeah, yeah," Nia said in annoyance. "We're waiting with bated breath for your 'super-duper whatever'."

Mika's expression turned serious as he raised his hammer, which began emitting shadows, in the air. "Bringer of Chaos," he jumped high in the air, "Ultimate Shadow Smash, Max!" Mika brought his hammer down on the ground, creating a small shockwave of dark energy, though it failed to hit anyone.

Frank raised an eyebrow in confusion. "That's it?" he questioned. "Talk about anti-climatic."

Suddenly the ground beneath Mika began to crack and crumble.

"Uh oh," the Chaosbringer said slowly before the cliff gave way underneath him and his teammates. All four of them screamed as they fell. Soon a loud splash echoed in the air.

Frank and his team were both confused and shocked at the same time.

"What…just happened?" Nia said slowly.

"You don't see that every day," Jin commented before facing his Driver. "Will they be alright?"

Frank shrugged. "Probably," he admitted. "Mika has terrible luck, but I doubt it would get him killed. He and Jason probably fell into a lake by the sounds of things."

"Should we go after them?" Pyra asked in concern.

"Nah, I'm sure we'll run into them again. I highly doubt Jason will let a fall like that be the end of them. Besides, how much danger could they get in down there?"

**Meanwhile**

"Swim faster! Swim faster!" Jason exclaimed in fear as he, Pandoria, Mika and Kasandra swam desperately away from a school of angry Piranhax (basically piranhas that are three feet long).

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Mika exclaimed.

**Back to the others**

Frank and his friends returned to Fonsa Myrma. The group then went to get paid for completing their mission, before they went to check into an inn to rest for the night. They got two rooms, one for the boys (including Dromarch), and one for the girls. Pyra made a quick dinner for them before they all freshened up and went to bed.

'_I wonder why Jason and Mika attacked us,_' Frank thought to himself. '_That was't like them at all. Did something change or is there something else at play here?_' He quickly dismissed his thoughts and went to sleep.

**The Next Day**

The group returned to the theater, where Cole and Iona were waiting for them outside.

"Morning Cole," Frank greeted. "You feeling any better?"

The playwright nodded. "Yes, I'm much better now. Here, I have something I want to give to you." Cole reached into his cloak and pulled out a dagger and handed it to the Aegis Driver.

Frank noticed there was a blue and red crystal embedded in the hilt. "This is a Blade weapon," he realized. "Who's its owner?"

"The man who used to be my Driver."

"What?" the Aegis Driver said in confusion.

Cole unbuttoned the top of his cloak, revealing a red and blue Core Crystal on his chest. What was strange was that veins could be seen around it.

"Cole is a Blade," Azurda explained. "His true name is Minoth. He and I fought together in the Aegis War, along with Mythra and Jin."

"But Blades aren't supposed to get old though," Ethan said. "So why is Cole like this?"

"Because I am one of the Cursed Ones. A Flesh Eater," Cole explained. Frank heard Nia gasp in shock but didn't acknowledge it.

"What's a Flesh Eater?" Frank asked curiously.

"Flesh Eaters are Blades infused with human cells," Cole continued. "Before the Aegis War, some humans wanted to test the potential of Blades. Apparently by being combined with human DNA, Blades are able to gain unique abilities, however only very rarely. Most experiments were failures, like me. I gained nothing, and I lost my immortality to boot. I likely won't last much longer, but before I go, I want to see you succeed in your endeavor. Take that dagger to the Praetor in Indol. He will show you the way."

"Cole…" Frank stopped and corrected himself. "No, Minoth, thank you. I'll make sure that your help doesn't go to waste."

"That's all I can ask for. Good luck, Frank."

"Promise you'll come back and visit some time, please," Iona added.

Frank chuckled in amusement. "I don't see why not. I promise that after we reach Elysium, we'll come back and tell you all about it."

"I also have something else to give you," Minoth said. He handed Pyra a framed photograph. "Seeing you all together has brought back a lot of memories, especially ones of the Aegis War. Take this picture as a memento of the past."

Frank looked at the photograph and saw Mythra, Jin, Brighid, Aegeaon, a much younger Minoth, and several other people in it. They were all smiling, even Mythra. However, there were two people in the picture that really caught his notice, a young man dressed in black with black hair and a mask as well as a girl with long black hair who wore a strange black armor with a visor right next to him.

"This certainly brings back memories," Jin mused as he looked over the photo. "I remember us taking this back in Torna."

"Wow," Frank said as he put the photo in his coat. "We certainly have a lot to live up to. Thanks again, Minoth."

"You're welcome," the Flesh Eater replied. "I wish you luck on your journey."

The party then headed towards the harbor.

"So what's the fastest way to Indol?" Sonum questioned.

Ethan was silent before saying, "Indol is the only nation that's airborne. We'll need an air vessel to reach it. I think we should first go to Argentum, then take a ship to Mor Ardain. After that, we should be able to get a ride to Indol."

"Why can't we just skip Argentum and go straight to Mor Ardain?" Nia asked in suspicion.

"Because tension between Uraya and Mor Ardain is very high," Ethan explained. "It'll be difficult to get to the empire on an Urayan ship. Besides, I'm a salvager. I can ride Guild ships for free and I'm sure I can get a discount for the rest of you."

Frank nodded in acknowledgement. "Sounds like a plan. Alright then, let's make our way to Indol!"

"Right!" everyone else said.

**To be continued**


	18. Chapter 18: Lila

**Chapter 18- Lila**

Frank and his friends had arrived in Argentum after a five-day voyage. Ethan and Poppi went to go get tickets for an airship to Mor Ardain, while the others chose to check into an inn, as they all wanted a break from all the travel. They got two rooms, one for the guys, and one for the girls. They were at the inn's diner, waiting for Ethan and Poppi to return.

Nia stretched her arms and said, "It's nice to rest in a proper inn after a long voyage."

"Agreed," Sonum replied. "I was getting stir crazy from being stuck on that ship."

"Don't get too comfortable," Jin said matter-of-factly. "We'll be leaving for Mor Ardain first thing tomorrow morning."

"I know that," Sonum retorted. "Do you always have to be such a buzz kill, Jin?!"

"Pretty much."

Soon the group saw Ethan and Poppi had returned.

"Any luck?" Frank questioned.

"Yup," Ethan replied. "I got us all tickets to an airship going to Mor Ardain for tomorrow."

"That's good." Frank then noticed Jin writing in a journal. "What are you doing, Jin?"

"I'm writing a diary," the Paragon of Torna replied. "I know that I'll eventually return to my core and lose all my memories, so I'm writing down everything I experience so I'll never really forget about them."

"I see. Did you keep a diary five hundred years ago too?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, I lost it when I was sealed away. Luckily, I still have most of my memories from back then, but it gets blurry around my final moments with Lora."

"That's unfortunate," Pyra said. "But at least you still have your memories. That's got to mean something."

Jin nodded in agreement. "Indeed." He then brought out his mask. "I remember how Lora and I first met vividly. She was ten years old back then. Her step-father had just stolen my Core Crystal from the royal family and planned to sell me for money. Lora accidently resonated with me, prompting her step-father to attempt to kill her so I would return to my core. I stopped him and I've looked after her ever since. Because I was a stolen core, Lora made this mask for me to conceal my identity so she wouldn't get in trouble with the authorities. Eventually I didn't need to wear it anymore, but I keep it as a memento."

"Neat," Frank said. "I'll try my best not to dishonor Lora's memory."

"Don't worry," Jin replied with a smile as he put his mask away. "You won't."

It was getting late, so the group chose to call it a night and went to their respective rooms to sleep.

**The Next Day**

Frank slowly stirred from his slumber, having felt something rub against him. He opened his eyes and instantly reeled back in surprise with a small blush on his face. Sleeping next to him was none other than Mythra, who had her right hand on his arm. Unfortunately, his sudden movement caused the Aegis to wake up.

Mythra sat up and stretched with a yawn. "Morning already?" In a daze, she noticed her Driver next to her. "Morning, Frank. Wait… why are you in my bed?!"

Frank raised his arms defensively. "Y-you've got the wrong idea! You're the one in…" He didn't get to finish as Mythra shoved him off the bed, slamming him against the floor.

"Get out, you pervert!" Mythra exclaimed angrily as she began throwing random things at her Driver, unintentionally hitting Ethan in the forehead.

Frank was able to block most of what the Aegis threw with his arms, but he did get hit in the forehead by a stray projectile. He then stood back up. "You're the one in my room! The guys' room!"

"Huh?" Mythra stopped what she was doing and looked around. She then saw Ethan and the other males, who were now awake, staring at her with confused expressions.

Mythra then muttered a curse. "I can't believe it. I did it again! I am such an idiot!" She slapped her cheeks with her hands and walked to the door.

"Is this what they call sleepwalking?" Dromarch questioned.

Mythra didn't respond and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

"So Frank," Ethan said smugly, "sleep well?"

Frank promptly threw a pillow at the other male Driver, hitting him right in the head.

**Later**

Everyone was in the diner for breakfast. Frank saw Pyra sitting alone while drinking a cup of tea and nervously approached her.

"Uh, hey Pyra," Frank greeted nervously.

Pyra turned to face him and smiled. "Oh, good morning, Frank. Sleep okay?"

Frank scratched his head nervously. "Yeah, and then…"

"I'm really sorry about Mythra. She can get quite confused when she wakes up. It didn't get violent, did it?"

"No! I didn't do anything weird!"

Pyra giggled in amusement. "I was talking about Mythra."

Frank sighed in relief and sat down next to his Blade. "Well, she did shove me off my bed and threw some stuff at me."

Pyra then held her forehead with her right hand. "So that's where it came from. Does your head still hurt at all? Mine feels like its throbbing a little."

"No, I-I feel just fine," Frank stuttered out, even though his head didn't feel much better. "No throbbing whatsoever."

Pyra raised an eyebrow in suspicion but didn't press further.

Jin, Azurda, and Dromarch, who were sitting at a nearby table, had overheard the conversation.

"Ah, to be young again," Azurda remarked.

"Indeed," Dromarch agreed.

"We need a little romance in our lives as well," the Titan added.

"I'll pass," Jin replied nonchalantly.

"I'm quite alright with my life as is too," Dromarch added in the same tone.

**Meanwhile**

Meg and Brighid had returned to imperial palace after completing their last mission.

"Lady Margaret (Meg's real name), Lady Brighid," General Luke greeted, "welcome back."

The Flamebringer folded her arms and said, "Good to be back, General. How is His Majesty?"

"The Emperor is fine. He awaits you and Brighid in the throne room. There is a matter he wishes to discuss with you personally."

"Very well. We will meet with him at once."

Meg and Brighid went into an elevator and soon arrived in the throne room. They found Niall and Aegaeon by the throne.

"You called for us, Your Majesty?" Brighid questioned.

"Yes. Have a look at this." Niall gave a parchment to the Special Inquisitor.

The female Driver quickly skimmed through the contents before saying, "Another transport ship's been attacked? One with a shipment of Core Crystals heading for Indol."

"This is the fourth attack in three months. According to a lucky survivor, the assailant was a man with a black mask."

"Zeke," Meg said bitterly. "It must have been him. Him and his group, Torna, have been killing Drivers and collecting Core Crystals. I'm sorry, Majesty, if I had known that Zeke was this dangerous, I wouldn't have let him escape back on Temporal Island."

Niall, having been told of the events that transpired, shook his head. "You let him go because of an honored agreement between your two parties. I couldn't expect anything less from you, dear cousin."

"Is there anything else you wish to share?" Brighid questioned.

"There is," Aegaeon said. "The Senate has secretly resumed the excavation of Judicium on Temperantia."

"What?!" Meg knew full well that Temperantia was the demilitarized zone between Mor Ardain and Uraya, and of the dangers the excavation possessed.

"The loss of those Core Crystals must have made them nervous," Niall explained. "If we aren't careful, war will break out between Mor Ardain and Uraya."

"War is the last thing Alrest needs, especially since the Shadow Army has grown quiet after Zeta's defeat. Still, if the Senate does something unfavorably, then we will act accordingly."

"That we will, dear cousin."

**Two Days Later**

Frank and his friends arrived at a harbor near Alba Cavanich. The Aegis Driver looked in grief as he saw the wasteland that was the Ardainian Titan. He recalled Azurda explaining that as the Titan ages, the ether in its veins gets hotter, creating the wasteland it is, and that it was nearing the end of its lifespan. After seeing the state of his birthplace, Frank could sympathize why the empire annexed Gormott, to help support their people with more resources.

The group went through a small canyon where a cargo hold would be found as there was an elevator there that they could use to reach the capital. As they walked, a strong gust of wind blew through the canyon, carrying dust.

"Man it would suck to live here," Ethan commented. Both Poppi and Nia then stomped on his feet, prompting him to yelp in pain.

"Do you ever think before you speak?!" Nia exclaimed. "Have you forgotten a certain someone was born here?" She gestured towards Frank.

Ethan immediately cringed. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously," Poppi scolded. "Not to mention that you're from here too, Ethan."

The group reached the cargo hold without any problems. They then used an elevator and arrived in the Ardainian capital. Alba Cavanich had a very steam punk-like vibe to it, machines being everywhere in sight and very industrial. As the group walked into the city, Jin looked over his shoulder.

"Something wrong, Jin?" Frank asked his Blade.

"I thought I sensed something. It's nothing."

Frank just simply shrugged and proceeded into the city. Unbeknownst to them, a Nopon was observing them from where Jin had looked. He was wearing a black detective hat, a black leather jacket with gloves, and pants.

"Ethan!" a voice cried out. "It's you!"

"Huh?" Ethan said a blue Nopon with large swirly glasses and a lab coat appeared in front of them.

"Don't you remember me, Muimui?" the Nopon said. "I was Professor Harold's assistant."

Ethan looked hopelessly confused. "Sorry, doesn't ring any bells."

"Muimui helped Professor Harold and your father, Professor James, with construction of artificial Blade. Surely you remember that?"

Ethan's eyes then lit up. "Oh, now I remember. You're that Muimui guy who occasionally helped my dad and grandad in the lab."

"Correct!" the Nopon cheered. "Muimui glad that Ethan remember him! Ethan, that Blade beside you, is it artificial Blade built from Professor Harold's blueprints?"

Ethan puffed his chest with pride. "Yup. I built Poppi using the blueprints my father gave me. I only wish he could see her. Him and Grandpa. Hey Muimui, do you have any idea what happened to my father after the lab was attacked?"

Muimui shook his head. "Sorry, Muimui not know. Muimui wasn't there when lab was attacked. By the time Muimui arrived, Professor Harold was dead, and Professor James was missing."

"So even you don't know." Ethan slouched his head in despair.

"Ethan," Poppi whispered, her eyes filled with remorse.

"Muimui know how to cheer Ethan up," the Nopon said suddenly. "Muimui have friend who owns inn here. Muimui can get you discount there. Inn also has hot spring to wash the sorrows away."

"A hot spring sounds nice," Sonum replied. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. Anything for friends of Ethan. Inn is at west end of city. Mention Muimui's name and you get good discount. See you soon, friends." And with that, Muimui walked off.

Frank put his right hand on his waist. "Well then, shall we go take advantage of this discount of his?"

"Sure," Nia agreed. "There's nothing better than bathing in a hot spring."

The group then headed for the inn. When they arrived, they mentioned Muimui's name to the man at the front desk, and just as the Nopon promised, they got a generous discount. The group then learned that there were separate times for when either men or women are allowed into the hot spring. They also got two rooms, one for the guys and one for the girls (both of which were on the second story of the building).

Around sunset, the boys (and Dromarch and Azurda) went to the hot spring. They were there for about half an hour before returning to their room. After another hour, it was the girls' turn to use the hot spring.

Pyra was taking a while to change, so Sonum, Nia and Poppi decided to go into the hot spring without her.

"This feels good," Nia said.

"Really removes the aches from long journeys, doesn't it?" Poppi added.

Sonum looked at the artificial Blade curiously. "Should you even be in the water, Poppi? Won't you rust or something?"

"Nope. I'm made from a special alloy. I don't have to worry about rust or need any oil at all."

Nia smirked smugly. "Ethan thought of everything, didn't he?"

Poppi smiled with pride. "Ethan's the best artificial Blade builder of all time. He really went out of his way to make me as realistic as possible."

They heard a door open behind them and footsteps. "About time Pyra," Sonum said without looking. "You should come in. The water's," she turned around and nearly jumped in surprise, "wait, Mythra?!"

Sure enough, behind the trio was none other the blonde-haired Aegis, wrapped in nothing but a white towel.

"Is there a problem?" Mythra questioned fiercely.

Sonum tried desperately to hide her nervousness. There were times where Mythra just plain scared her. "N-no, of course not. Uh, nice bod you've got there."

"Thanks." Mythra then changed to Pyra. "When I told her there was a hot spring, Mythra was dead set on trying it out." She then reverted back to Mythra. "So here I am."

Mythra then removed her towel and entered the water.

"Must be interesting for you two," Nia deadpanned.

Poppi and Sonum then swam to other parts of the spring, having a little race.

After a couple of minutes of relaxing, the Gormotti rose out of the water. "I think I'm heading out now."

Mythra then noticed something strange about the Gormotti. "Nia, are you…"

Nia looked away nervously. "Yeah, I am."

"Do you want to keep this between us?"

"I'd appreciate it if you did. You can't tell anyone, not even Frank."

"…Understood." Mythra then stood up. "You got it."

After drying off, Mythra and Nia changed back into their clothes, with Sonum and Poppi following soon after. They then walked back to their room, standing right outside of it.

"You look very pleased, Mythra," Poppi commented.

"Well it was my first hot spring in 500 years. I think I have the right to savor it."

Suddenly an explosion could be heard from outside, prompting the girls to hurry to the boys' room, who were looking out the window.

"What the hell was that?" Nia questioned.

Jin turned to face them. "I don't know, but it sounded like an explosion."

Frank examined the cloudy night sky and saw a smoke trail on a nearby rooftop. "We should go investigate. Someone could be in trouble. Let's-" He turned and stopped when he saw Mythra.

Mythra folded her arms and said, "Something wrong? You're giving me a strange look."

"Nothing, it's just…I wasn't expecting to see you, is all." Frank's emotions had gone into overdrive ever since he woke up to find Mythra sleeping next to him back in Argentum, and it was challenging to keep them under control. It didn't help that the others kept teasing him about it on the voyage to Mor Ardain every five seconds.

"You rather I was _her_?"

Frank knew exactly who the Aegis was referring to. "I didn't mean it like that. Anyway, let's go."

The group ran out of the room before going to a fire escape that was connected to a building on the other side of the street. They all looked around to find the explosion's source.

"Hey Frank," Mythra asked suddenly. "Can I ask you something?"

The golden-eyed swordsman faced the Aegis in confusion. "Since when do you need permission? What is it?"

"Do you mind if I stay like this for the time being?"

"You mean as 'Mythra'? Uh, sure, if that's what you want, go right ahead."

_Told you he wouldn't mind,_ Pyra said smugly. _Now it's your turn to get some quality time with him._

Mythra groaned in frustration. _Will you give it a rest for ten seconds?_ Mythra then noticed the crack of a smile on Frank's face. "What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing, it's just that a lot has happened since I first met you and Pyra in the Verdant Forest."

"A lot of that stuff wasn't easy. I doubt it was very fun."

"Well, even bad things have some good parts. Like meeting Jin, Nia, as well as Marth and his friends."

Mythra couldn't help but crack a smile. "Always the optimist."

Frank scratched the back of his head. "Not always." Another explosion filled the air and a cloud of smoke rose from where Frank last saw it. "I think that blast came from over there."

The Aegis nodded in agreement. "Looks like it. C'mon, let's go."

The group crossed the fire escape to get to reach the roof of the building in front of them. As they hurried to the source of the explosion, the sounds of gunfire could be heard. When they arrived, they found three unconscious Ardainian soldiers and a lone female.

The night sky cleared, revealing the young woman's appearance. She had black hair, orange eyes, as well as a black and blue maid outfit. What was strange was that her body was mechanical.

"An artificial Blade?" Frank said in confusion.

Ethan gasped in shock. "Lila?!" he exclaimed.

Lila faced the brown-haired Driver before taking off into the sky.

"Wait!" Ethan begged. "Lila, come back!"

Ethan's friends gave the engineer confused looks.

"Do you know that girl, Ethan?" Sonum questioned.

Ethan didn't answer as he quickly ran after Lila. Poppi followed suit, as did the others. Unbeknownst to them, the same Nopon in leather was watching them through binoculars.

"What's going on with Ethan?" Frank said as they ran. "I've never seen him like this before."

"No clue," Jin replied. "Let's just focus on making sure he doesn't do anything reckless."

Ethan ran to the edge of the building, where he saw Lila standing on top of a pillar. He called out to her, but she flew off again, causing him to pursue her once more. Eventually the group arrived at a storage zone. Lila was nowhere in sight.

"Drat," Nia cursed. "Did that girl give us the slip?"

Ethan slouched in despair. "Lila," he muttered.

Suddenly, Poppi perked up. "Ethan, I'm detecting an ether furnace reading nearby. Over there!" The artificial Blade pointed to a nearby rooftop, where Lila was overlooking them from above.

"Lila!" Ethan said in relief. "It is you!"

However, black-haired artificial Blade showed no reaction, instead staring directly at Poppi. "Ether furnace located," Lila said as she drifted to the ground, mech arm weapons materializing around her arms. "Commencing retrieval of artificial Blade."

Ethan looked shocked. "Lila? What's wrong with you? Don't you recognize me?"

Lila instead readied her mech arms (which looked like metal tonfas that covered her arms) for battle.

"I don't think she's listening, Ethan," Mythra stated. "We have no choice but to fight her."

"But-"

Frank drew his sword. "Mythra's right. Whoever this Blade is, it's clear she's after Poppi. We have to stop her."

Ethan hesitantly drew his saber. "Just promise me not to damage Lila too much, please?"

The others drew their weapons as well. "Relax, Gear Head," Nia reassured. "We can tell this Blade's important to you. We'll be careful."

"Here she comes!" Jin warned.

Lila raised her mech arms upward and fired a barrage of small missiles at the party. Luckily the Blades were able to shield themselves and the Drivers with their barriers.

Frank and Jin charged at opposite flanks, swords clashing against mech arms. Lila punched Frank in the stomach, sending him back. Jin quickly knocked the artificial Blade down with a swift kick from below, allowing Ethan and Sonum to damage the vulnerable Blade. Lila quickly got back up and fired another barrage of missiles at the party, forcing them away. Lila wasn't done, however, as she then launched bombs from her mech arms, injuring the group with miniature explosions. Thankfully Nia and Sonum were able to quickly heal them and their friends.

"She's pretty strong," Jin commented. "Any ideas?"

Frank gripped his sword tightly. "I know. Ethan! Is it okay if Mythra and I do a Blade Special?"

Ethan didn't appear very thrilled at the idea but nodded. "Just be careful not to destroy Lila."

Mythra smirked. "Please, have a little faith in us. When have Frank and I ever accidently destroyed something using my power?"

"Do I need to remind you of what happened in Leftheria?" Jin remarked teasingly.

"Not the time for that, Jin!" Frank said. "Let's go, Mythra!"

The Aegis nodded. "You got it." Frank tossed his sword to the blonde, which she subsequently caught in her hands. Mythra then jumped in the air, aiming the tip of the sword at the artificial Blade. "Ray of Punishment!" Mythra shouted as a beam of light shout out of the Aegis Sword and struck Lila. An explosion of light soon followed, consuming the artificial Blade.

"Lila!?" Ethan exclaimed in worry.

"Relax, Ethan," Mythra said as she landed on the ground and returned her sword to her Driver. "Take a closer look."

Soon the dust from the explosion cleared, revealing a damaged, but relatively intact, Lila. Sparks of electricity crackled from her body.

"Structure damage, 45%. Estimation of victory, 10%," Lila said. "Activating Strategic Retreat Mode!" The artificial Blade then jumped over a large, metal gate and fled the scene.

"Lila, come back!" Ethan shouted. He turned to his leader. "Frank."

The Aegis Driver nodded. "Everyone, after that Blade!"

The party couldn't get the gate opened, so they had to take the long way around, making a giant U-turn around a whole block and through the market district. Soon they were at the main entrance to the capital, but Lila was nowhere to be found.

"I'm not detecting an ether furnace reading anywhere," Poppi explained. "It appears that she got away."

"Blast." Sonum stomped her foot in frustration.

Ethan fell to his knees in despair. "Lila."

Frank stared at his fellow Ardainian in sympathy. "Ethan, I know you're feeling a mix of emotions right now, but you need to tell us who that was that attacked us."

Ethan was silent for a few moments before rising to his feet. "That was Lila," he said finally. "She was the Blade that my father and grandfather were working on years ago."

The other party members gasped in shock.

"What?" Jin questioned. "Are you sure?"

Ethan nodded. "Without a doubt. I told you all how my family wanted to become Drivers, but none of us had the potential to do so. Thankfully, we only suffered minor blood loss from the failed resonance. Since we couldn't become true Drivers, we chose to build our own Blades. Lila was the prototype."

"But then your lab got attacked," Frank added. "Your grandfather was killed while your dad gave you the blueprints and an ether furnace and told you to run."

"That's right. But by the time the authorities arrived, neither my father nor Lila could be found."

"Do you have any idea who attacked you back then?" Mythra asked.

Ethan shook his head. "No, but there's something strange about this. When the lab was attacked, Lila was still being built. But now she's all finished. There's only one person I know who's capable of completing Lila. My father, Professor James."

"So that means that whoever's controlling Lila is likely holding Ethan's father hostage," Azurda realized.

"But who would-" Frank began to say.

"Stop where you are!" a voice called out. Ardainian soldiers then surrounded the party.

Three individuals then approached the group, two of which they knew all too well.

"Meg!" Frank exclaimed. "Brighid!"

The Special Inquisitor folded her arms. "Well, well, Brother. I didn't expect our next meeting to go like this."

The third person (General Luke) looked at his superior. "You know these people, Lady Margaret?"

Meg nodded. "Aye. This is Frank, my older brother, and his Blades, the legendary Aegis herself, Mythra, and the Paragon of Torna, Jin. The rest are my friends."

"Lady Margaret," one of the soldiers said before pointing at Poppi. "That's her. That's the artificial Blade that attacked the facility."

Frank and his party reeled back in surprise.

"Wait, hold on a moment!" Ethan began.

"It's no use, Ethan," Poppi replied. "They can't tell the difference between me and Lila."

Meg stared coldly at her brother. "I am sorely disappointed in you, Frank. To think that you would stoop to such lowly crimes."

"Lowly crimes?" Frank said. "You're wrong, Meg. This all just a big mis-"

Meg stubbornly drew her whipswords. "General, you are not to kill them," she ordered. "I want them alive for questioning."

Luke nodded in acknowledgement and drew his greataxe. "Understood, Your Grace."

Frank gritted his teeth in frustration. "Everyone, get ready for a fight!"

The party drew their weapons and got into battle stances. Meg wasted no time, charging straight at her brother, locking swords with him. Luke charged at Jin, axe clashing against nodachi. Ethan and the others, meanwhile, focused on the grunts, trying their hardest not to kill them.

As Frank battled his sister, he could tell that the Flamebringer had gotten stronger as well. She was much more agile than before, easily able to parry his heavy attacks with little difficulty. One of her attacks even managed to send the Aegis Driver back towards his Blade.

"Mythra!" Frank said as a gold aura surrounded him and his Blade.

"I know. I know," Mythra chided. "I won't use that power. Let's stick to Foresight for this. If you really need to attack, I'll hand it over to Pyra."

"Thanks." Frank then charged at the Flamebringer.

Frank jumped into the air and brought his sword down on his opponent, who blocked with her right whipsword. Their weapons clashed fiercely, sending sparks into the air. The Aegis Driver then performed a downward slash, which the Flamebringer stopped with a cross-block.

"Why did you and the others attack the facility and steal the Core Chips inside?" Meg demanded. "Answer me!"

"We didn't do anything!" Frank exclaimed. "Put the swords away so we can talk this out! Now!"

Meg instead jumped backward. "I'll listen to your confession," Meg said as she tossed her left whipsword to Brighid, "while you lie defeated!"

Brighid spun and caught the whipsword in-hand, before standing side to side with her Driver, a gold aura radiating from them. The duo raised their swords in sync, blue fire encasing the blades, before swinging them down, extending the whips. "Soulfire!" Meg and Brighid shouted in sync as they swung their swords at Frank and Mythra, sending a wave of blue flames their way.

Time then slowed down as Mythra activated Foresight.

"Frank!" she exclaimed. "After this Foresight, I'll switch to Pyra!"

Frank nodded in acknowledgement. "Understood."

Time returned to its normal speed as the duo dodged the attack. An explosion of blue fire then appeared behind them and their friends.

Luke's eyes filled with disbelief. "Impossible," he said. "They dodged it?!"

Meg gritted her teeth as she grunted in frustration. "Crap. I forgot about Mythra's Foresight ability." The gold aura around her and Brighid then faded.

"Now it's our turn!" Frank declared as Mythra changed into Pyra. They raised the Aegis Sword together, red flames shooting out of the blade. "Eat this!"

The duo swung their sword down, sending a stream of red flames at the Flamebringer and her Blade. Meg raised her swords to block, but there was no need as the flames instead launched to the sky before quickly dissipating.

Frank looked at the Aegis, confused. Their gold auras faded as well. "Pyra?"

"We can do this," she said as she let go of the sword, "without hitting them."

Frank simply smirked as he put his left hand on his waist. "It's like you read my mind," he replied, causing Pyra to smile as well.

Meg, who was now standing in front of the Aegis Driver, aimed her right whipsword at him. "Are you holding back on me _again_, Brother?" she accused fiercely.

Frank put on a serious expression as he turned his gaze to his sister. "We just don't have a reason to fight you," he answered.

"Enough!" a voice shouted. "Both of you!"

Everyone then stopped fighting and saw a Nopon wearing a black detective hat, a black leather jacket with gloves, and pants, approach them.

Meg's eyes flashed in recognition. "I know you," she said. "You're part of the Argentum Guild Intelligence Division, Niranira."

The Nopon nodded in acknowledgement. "Lady Margaret," Niranira said. "Stand down arms. These not the ones who raided the facility and attacked your soldiers."

Luke hesitantly lowered his axe. "So the culprit behind the attack is not the artificial Blade standing right here, is that what you're saying?"

"Correct. They very similar but not the same. Niranira saw her with own eyes."

Jin then flashbacked to when the party arrived at Alba Cavanich. "I had a feeling we were being watched since we arrived."

Niranira locked eyes with the Paragon of Torna. "I quite sorry for causing concern," he said apologetically. "Niranira has been auditing Argentum Trade Guild."

Nia quickly caught on. "Ah, so you were keeping an eye on us because we came in on a Guild ship."

"How ironic that your suspicion should happen to prove our innocence," Dromarch mused.

Meg took a deep breath before sheathing her swords, as did the rest of the Ardainian soldiers put their weapons away. "It appears I was too hasty in judging you," she said. "I apologize for attacking you so suddenly."

Frank and his party then sheathed their weapons. "It's all right," Frank passed off. "No one got hurt in the end. I'm just glad it all got cleared up."

"An apology from the illustrious Flamebringer," Azurda said. "A rare reward in itself."

Meg then locked eyes with her brother. "Might I ask your connection with the culprit, if you have one that is?"

Pyra changed back into Mythra as the party explained Ethan's past, and about Lila.

Meg folded her arms. "I see," she said. "I think it would be best if we work together in this investigation."

"You want our help?" Sonum asked curiously.

"Indeed. I have to capture the artificial Blade responsible for the attack and track down the criminals responsible for its actions. And it is highly likely that the criminals I seek also have Ethan's father held captive. Do you not agree that our interests align?"

"Actually, I do," Frank said. "It's much better for us to work together than be enemies in the long run. What do you think, Mythra?"

The Aegis nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly. We shouldn't take the power of Brighid, 'Jewel of the Empire', too lightly. If she was going all out, even I couldn't hold back. And then…we'd burn this place to the ground."

"I am honored that the Aegis herself thinks so highly of me," Brighid said in respect.

"You may not remember it," Mythra added. "But you and I fought each other a few times before, during the Aegis War. Let's just say it wasn't easy."

Frank smirked mischievously. "Interesting…"

"Don't even think about it!" Mythra threatened, knowing exactly what her Driver was about to say. "Say it, and I swear you'll regret it!"

Frank immediately flinched in fear. "I wasn't going to say anything! I swear!"

Everyone else chuckled in amusement, prompting Frank to slouch in defeat.

"Anyway," Meg said. "I must return to the palace. I'll instruct the guards to allow you an audience with me. Let me know if you find anything."

"Got it," Frank replied.

The Flamebringer, Brighid, Luke and the Ardainian soldiers then left.

"Never thought I'd actually meet the legendary Aegis," Luke said. "Much less fight her and her Driver. Are you sure you want to get them involved in this?"

"Of course," Meg said with a nod. "We've been through worse than this before."

Brighid nodded in agreement. "Just as Meg and I weren't using our full power, neither were they. Don't worry, General, they can handle it."

Luke shrugged. "If you say so."

Meanwhile, Frank and his party returned to the inn, where they chose to call it a night and rest. They had a long day tomorrow, for they had to begin searching for Lila and Professor James.

**To be continued**


	19. Chapter 19: The Chaos Quartet

**Chapter 19- Chaos Quartet Round Two**

The next day, after getting some sleep, Frank and his friends began discussing how they would track down Lila. Muimui volunteered to help and was searching for any leads. However, Frank, Mythra and Jin felt uneasy about the Nopon, like he was hiding something, but they chose not to say anything about it. The party was sitting around a table discussing what to do.

"So how are we going to find these criminals?" Sonum questioned. "Any ideas?"

Ethan thought silently for a few moments before answering, "We might be able to track them down using imports. In order to build artificial Blades, you need a lot of various materials that would be difficult to find in Mor Ardain alone."

"That's a good idea," Frank replied. "What items do you know off the top of your head?"

"Off the top of my head, I remember bion connecters being required. In the current season, you'll only be able to find them through salvaging in Gormott."

"So we'll need to look into any shipments of bion connectors being imported from Gormott to find the culprits," Jin said.

"Looks like our first stop will be the harbor," Mythra stated. "C'mon, let's get going!" The Aegis impatiently grabbed her Driver by the arm, and started pulling him out the door, much to Frank's chagrin.

"I can walk on my own, you know!?" Frank protested. "You don't have to pull!"

"Well, you move too slow!?" Mythra argued back.

Ethan scratched his head in confusion as he and the others followed the duo.

"Does this always happen with those two?" Ethan asked.

Jin nodded with an amused grin on his face. "Back in Leftheria, Mythra pretty much dragged Frank around like a rag doll. She can be pretty impatient sometimes."

Sonum smiled mischievously. "This'll be an interesting journey, to say the least."

"You have no idea," Nia agreed.

The others simply laughed in amusement.

**Later**

The party was in the back in the cargo hold. They had learned that there was a large shipment of bion connectors had recently arrived in green barrels. However, they had arrived at the cargo hold too late as the barrels had already been sent off to be delivered. Ethan then suggested they meet up with Muimui to see if he found anything. They met up with the Nopon at the inn, where he told them he found out that the person who delivers the shipments to a certain location outside the capital. The group quickly found the guy and began questioning him. They then learned that he takes the barrels to an old industrial site outside of the city, and that he just made the delivery and the next one wouldn't happen for another week.

"Great," Mythra cursed. "So we're going to have to wait a week now!"

"Actually," the man said. "When I make my deliveries, the client shows up much later to pick them up. I get my money by mail. I just dropped the barrels off half an hour ago, so they should still be there."

"Then we'll need to hurry before they disappear," Frank said. "C'mon, let's go."

The party hurried out of the capital and journeyed to the old industrial zone. Along the way, they were attacked by a pack of Griffox, but they easily dispatched them. It wasn't long until the party arrived at their destination. Sure enough, they found half a dozen green barrels there.

Ethan noticed a note on one of the barrels and picked it up to read. "Oh, great," he said. "It's written in Nopon. I can't figure out what it says."

"Allow me to translate it," Poppi offered.

Ethan nodded and handed the note to his Blade.

Poppi quickly skimmed through the note before saying, "It says that these barrels are to go to a factory located in the western part of Mor Ardain."

Nia looked over the artificial Blade's shoulder, examining the sheet of paper. "You can read that stuff? It all looks like chicken scratch to me."

"I have many different languages stored inside my database. Translating this 'chicken scratch', as you just put it, is nothing."

Frank folded his arms. "Anyway. We've got a lead on where Lila and those criminals are. Let's go to the palace and tell Meg and Brighid what we found."

Everyone nodded in agreement and headed for the imperial palace.

**Later**

"I see," Meg said. "There was a factory there, but it has been abandoned for years now."

"Judging from the size of the shipment," Frank replied. "My guess is that whoever these guys are, they're mass producing artificial Blades of their own, and I doubt it's for a just cause. What about you two? Did you find anything?"

"We believe that an esteemed Nopon merchant may be involved in this affair," Brighid answered.

"An esteemed Nopon merchant?" Ethan questioned. His eyes widened in realization. "Chairman Bana of the Argentum Trade Guild."

Meg nodded. "We are currently searching the transaction records now, but Chairman Bana is our prime suspect."

Frank folded his arms. "How about the others and I go investigate this factory?"

Meg turned to her brother. "Are you sure, Brother?"

The Aegis Driver nodded. "Of course. Besides, there's a good chance that Ethan's father is there too. We'll be careful. If things get too dangerous, we'll get out of there."

"Very well. To be honest, it would be difficult for me to dispatch the military so quickly. You all will go on ahead to the factory. Brighid and I will catch up after we mobilize some troops."

"I'll try to save some enemies for you, but I can't guarantee how many it'll be."

Meg chuckled in amusement before she and Brighid went to fulfill their part, while Frank led his party to the factory. They first went through the harbor, as it was on the same level as the factory before continuing onward. Like the rest of the Titan, the area was completely barren, with a cliff overlooking the Cloud Sea. The group could see powerful monsters roaming around the field, which they opted to avoid.

With great difficulty, the party managed to avoid fighting any monsters, with a few close calls here and there. When they reached the end of the field, a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.

"There you are!" the voice called out.

Mika, Kasandra, Jason and Pandoria then appeared in front of the group. Mythra folded her arms in annoyance.

"So we meet again, Aegis," Mika addressed.

"Great," Nia said in irritation. "It's Shellhead and Sparky again."

"Yes," Mika said before realizing. "Wait! Who's 'Shellhead'?!"

"Don't call me 'Sparky'!" Jason retorted.

Dromarch sighed in exasperation. "As ever, your comic timing is bewildering."

"Whatever." Mika drew his hammer and rested the top of its head on the ground. "You all may have gotten lucky thanks to a certain unstable cliff, but this time we meet on good, old terra firma." As if to prove his point, Mika and Kasandra stomped on the ground multiple times, not even cracking it. "If you think you can run away this time, you're dead wrong!"

"Nobody did any running," Nia countered. "What do you guys want anyway?"

"Are you daft?" Jason drew his sword and pointed the tip at Mythra. "We're here for the Aegis, obviously."

Mythra gave the Chaos Quartet an arrogant smirk before casually looking away.

"Sorry, but Mythra doesn't seem interested," Frank said while resting his left hand on his waist. "Why are you guys after her anyway? We're your friends!"

"That's for us to know and you to find out," Pandoria replied.

"Enough talk!" Kasandra declared. "Let's fight!"

Jin sighed in contempt. "It looks like we have no choice. Let's go, everyone!" Jin, Nia and the Drivers then drew their weapons and got into fighting stances, as did the other Blades.

Jason charged at Frank, lightning scattering in the air as their swords clashed. Jin slashed his nodachi at the Thunderbolt's side, but Jason rolled out of the way and countered with a blast of purple lightning. The Ice Blade was temporarily stunned from the Art, rendering him vulnerable to an attack. Luckily Frank got between him and Jason, preventing the Tantalese Driver from attacking the Blade any further.

Frank swung his sword down at Jason's head, but the attack was deflected by Pandoria's barrier. Jason then took advantage of the opening and slashed Frank across the chest with his sword. Both Frank and Mythra grunted in pain, but they kept their footing. Jason didn't relent, however, as he unleashed a flurry of attacks at high speed. Unfortunately for him, Jin had recovered and protected his Driver by parrying Jason's attacks while also matching his speed.

"How can you move so fast?" Jason questioned.

Jin's face was impassive. "It's one of my specialties."

Meanwhile Mika was struggling to deal with three opponents at once. He and Kasandra were surrounded by Ethan, Poppi, Sonum, Dromarch, and Nia. He had managed to avoid Ethan's Soaring Tempest but got hit by Dromarch's Wild Roar right afterwards. Nia tried to exploit the opening made from the attack and attempted to strike the Urayan Driver with Gemini Loop, but Kasandra blocked it with her defense barrier.

"They're a lot stronger than last time," the Dark Blade said.

Her Driver nodded in agreement. "Yeah. But so are we. Umbral Surge!" Mika's hammer surrounded itself in a dark aura, before he swung it at the ground.

At the moment of impact, a powerful shockwave knocked Ethan and the others off their feet. Mika then brought his hammer down on the Ardainian Driver, but Ethan was able to block it with his saber, although he was unable to force his opponent away.

Suddenly a wave of blue ether blew Mika and Kasandra away. Sonum and Dromarch then hurried over to their downed friend and helped him to his feet.

"Nice shot," Ethan praised.

Sonum smiled with pride. "Thanks."

Both groups ended up rejoining, though Jason's group looked more exhausted.

Mika gritted his teeth. "Looks like I've got no choice. I'll end this with my ultimate attack!"

Nia groaned in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"You'll regret saying that!" Mika raised his hammer high in the air as darkness enveloped it. "Bringer of Chaos," He jumped into the air, "Ultimate Shadow Smash, Max!" Mika slammed his hammer on the ground, creating a small dark explosion. However, the blast failed to hit Frank's party.

"Seriously?" Nia scolded. "That was the same as last time!"

Suddenly the ground started rumbling, catching everyone by surprise, including Mika. They all watched in fear as a boulder from a nearby cliff rolled off the edge and landed between the two groups. The boulder then began rolling downhill, which was the direction where Jason and his group was. They immediately began sprinting away from the boulder, trying desperately not to get crushed by it.

"P-Pandy!" Jason exclaimed in desperation. "Can't you do something?!"

"Sorrysorrysorry!" The Thunder Blade said hastily. "You know my element's Thunder! I'm not cut out for this!"

The Chaos Quartet ended up running off a cliff overlooking the Cloud Sea, but before they began falling, the boulder sent them flying off into the air. As soon as they were out of eyesight, a small glimmer of light briefly flashed in the sky.

Confusion filled the air as Frank's group wondered about what they just saw.

"Uh," Mythra said.

"That was…unique," Ethan said after a long period of silence. "I feel like I've seen something like that before with another group, but where?"

**Meanwhile in another universe**

A hot air balloon was floating in the sky. It had three passengers, a young man with straight purple hair, a young woman with red crescent-shaped hair, and a small bipedal cat-like creature with a gold oval-shaped charm on his forehead. The man and women were dressed in white clothing with black gloves and boots. A big, red R was in the center of their shirts.

Suddenly all three of them sneezed in sync.

"Where did that come from?" the woman demanded.

The man removed his left glove and placed the bare hand on his forehead. "I don't have a fever, so it's not a cold."

"I bet it's because someone's talking about us in a fanfiction," said the cat-like creature.

**Back to Alrest**

Over at the abandoned factory, Bana and Muimui were overlooking the construction of hundreds of Blade Bots, which were artificial Blades, from a balcony.

"Muimui," Bana said. "How goes production of artificial Blades?"

"We right on schedule," Muimui replied. "Artificial Blades be ready for transport in a few hours."

Bana laughed. "Good, very good. Senator Roderich was very helpful by telling us about this factory. When artificial Blades ready for shipment, we sell them to Torna."

Muimui turned to his boss, confused. "But Chairman, Muimui thought these Blades were for Mor Ardain."

"Use that Nopon brain of yours!" Bana exclaimed. "If we sell them to Torna, they use them for war and Roderich will offer more money."

"Oh, Muimui understand now. Did not think it would be so deep. Chairman Bana very clever."

"Of course I am. That why Bana is boss. Bana will be richest Nopon in Alrest!"

**To be continued**


	20. Chapter 20: Family Reunion

**Chapter 20- Family Reunion**

It took a few hours for Frank and his party to arrive at the factory. The factory was built into the cliff, with a small part of the building sticking out. It was made of metal and looked rusted from age.

"Should we use the front entrance or something else?" Sonum asked.

Frank shook his head. "No, too obvious. I see a ladder we can use to get to the second floor. We'll sneak in, save Ethan's father, and hopefully Lila, then leave. I'm sure Meg and the Ardainian military can handle the rest."

The others agreed with his idea and went up the ladder to the second floor of the factory. They then entered the building through a shattered window and found themselves on a catwalk overlooking a small, abandoned warehouse.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Sonum questioned.

"This is where Meg said the factory was," Mythra replied. "The rest of it must be built inside of the cliff. We just need to find a way to get there without drawing any attention to ourselves."

Poppi then noticed a large exhaust fan at the other end of the catwalk and mentioned it to the others. They all agreed it would make an ideal entrance if they could get the fan off. The group hurried to the fan, which was spinning at high speed. Poppi, being an artificial Blade, easily ripped the fan from its place and set it gently on the catwalk.

"That's one way to make an entrance," Frank commented.

The group then went through the vent and found themselves in the factory. They all saw artificial Blades, which looked strangely similar to Blade Bots, being built below them.

"Are these all artificial Blades?" Jin questioned.

Ethan lowered his head. "Then that means my father really is…"

"Hmm," Azurda mused. "What exactly are they planning here? Whatever it is, it can't be good."

"Let's look around and see if we can find Ethan's father," Mythra suggested.

Frank nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. Everyone, let's try to avoid being seen until we know exactly what's going on. If we're spotted, then that's when we start fighting."

The others quickly agreed before they all headed down the catwalk. They were careful to avoid the patrolling Tirkin by hiding in a large vent. Soon they found a vent that led to a room with a Tirkin and a human with brown hair. Everyone gathered around to hear what they were saying.

"Professor James," the Tirkin demanded. "Speak! You give orders! If productions get more slow, maybe you ready for sleep time with fishes."

James gritted his teeth and said, "Reduce the load on the neural circuits by 20%. That should improve your production efficiency."

The Tirkin looked satisfied. "See? It not so hard." The Tirkin then left the room.

"Hey, Ethan. Is that your…" Frank looked up and saw that Ethan and Poppi weren't next to him anymore. Instead they were sliding down the vent. The others then quickly followed.

"Dad!" Ethan called out. "Is it really you?"

James gasped as he turned around and saw his son. "Ethan? You're okay!"

The father and son embraced each other, finally reunited after so long. Frank noticed Mythra tearing up from the sight, prompting him to hand her a handkerchief from his pocket.

"Thanks," Mythra said before using the handkerchief to wipe the tears from her eyes. She then returned it to her Driver.

James and Ethan then separated. "Ethan, who are these people?"

"They're my friends," Ethan said. "I met them after I escaped the lab and went to Earth. We've been through a lot together."

James smiled with pride. "I'm glad that you have so many friends, my boy. They must be really good ones if they came here with you." James then noticed Poppi and gasped. "That artificial Blade!"

"Hi, my name is Poppi," the Blade greeted with a bow.

"I made her from the blueprints and the ether furnace that you gave me, Dad," Ethan explained. "Together we became a Driver and Blade, just like my friends."

"Most impressive, Ethan," James praised. "You must've worked really hard to build her on your own."

"If I may," Dromarch said suddenly. "I know there is a lot of catching up to do, but perhaps we should escape!"

Jin nodded in agreement. "We found Ethan's father, so once we get him to safety, we can let Meg and the Ardainian army finish things up."

"Not so fast, intruders!" The group turned and saw Muimui with five Tirkin.

"Muimui?" Sonum said in confusion.

"Don't tell me…" Nia started.

"Really now? You still not realize it?" Muimui explained. "Muimui gave you information on purpose, to lure you to factory. If we not want you here, you would not find this place so easily."

Ethan's eyes filled with rage. "Why you, how dare you?!" Ethan drew his saber and readied for battle.

"Meh… Finally I have chance to sieze precious artificial Blade," Muimui said. "Now. Take care of these intruders!" Muimui then retreated up the stairs to safety.

The Tirkin readied their spears, while the Drivers, as well as Jin and Nia, drew their weapons.

"Nia," Frank ordered. "Stay back and protect Professor James. Everyone else, take out these Tirkin."

Nia nodded and got in front of the professor while everyone else began battling the Tirkin. The Tirkin did offer some challenge for the Drivers, but the Drivers were able to quickly kill them.

"H-how can you be so strong?!" Muimui exclaimed.

Frank sent the Nopon a death glare. "What are you doing in this factory? We want answers, now!"

Muimui flinched in fear. "O-ordinary business. We innocently mass-produce ether furnaces and artificial Blades and sell to people who want them!"

"They forced me to help with their production process after they kidnapped me from my father's laboratory," James added.

"And next you wanted to get your hands on Poppi?" Azurda questioned. "You are a greedy bunch."

"I knew as soon as I saw her," Muimui said as he eyed Poppi. "That artificial Blade uses lost ether furnace designed by Professor Harold. That is why…"

"Of course," James realized. "Even _I_ could never make an ether furnace as good as my own father."

"So you lured us out here to avoid making a ruckus in the city, is that it?" Nia asked.

Muimui looked more nervous. "Qu-Quite right, yes."

"Muimui was part of a group plotting to steal the plans for artificial Blades all along," James continued. "While he was my father's assistant, he sold information to a contact in the Argentum Trade Guild and had them attack the laboratory."

"Then he's the reason why Grandpa is dead," Ethan said.

"A contact in the Guild," Frank said. "Could it be that the one behind all this is…"

"Indeed," said a new voice. "It is I!"

Chairman Bana then appeared beside Muimui, along with Lila.

"M-master Bana!" Muimui exclaimed.

"You never do finish job properly, do you?" Bana scolded his accomplice. "You manage to lure them all this way and then fail to capture them?"

"Muimui very sorry…"

"However, I am nice Nopon." Bana fixed his gaze on Mythra. "You brought not only artificial Blade to me, but even the Aegis itself! Once I have ether furnace of Professor Harold, I can produce even better artificial Blades and make a killing. Then I sell Aegis too and make mountains of cash! Then I can feed on Mushy Mushrooms for life!"

Frank tightened his grip on his sword. "Like I'd let you sell Mythra or take Poppi away and use her to satisfy your own greed."

"So who are you planning to sell the Aegis to, anyway?" Sonum questioned. "Would it happen to be Torna?"

Bana nodded. "After I sell artificial Blades to Torna, I offer them the Aegis at very expensive price."

"You're selling the artificial Blades to Torna as well?!" Jin shouted.

"Of course. Lila! Take them all down!"

"Mission acknowledged," Lila said as she landed in front of the group, readying her mech arms. "Commencing combat."

"Ethan, you must destroy her!" James ordered. "Muimui modified her so she won't even listen to me any more."

Ethan looked at his father in doubt before steeling his resolve. "All right. Let's go, Poppi!"

"I'm with you, Ethan!"

"Frank, you and the others stay out of this," Ethan said. "This fight is between me, Poppi, and Lila!"

"Are you sure?" Frank questioned.

"I am. I have to do this with just Poppi. Please understand."

Surprisingly, Frank nodded as he stood down. "Alright. Good luck, Ethan."

Ethan smiled with gratitude as he and Poppi prepared to battle Lila.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let Ethan and Poppi do this alone?" Mythra asked her Driver quietly.

"No," Frank admitted. "There's strength in numbers, but I can tell that this is something Ethan won't want help with. All we can do is watch and hope for the best."

Ethan charged at Lila with his saber and slashed at her head, which the Blade blocked with her mech arms. She then fired a barrage of missiles at the Driver, but Poppi protected him with her Blade barrier.

"Soaring Tempest!" Ethan performed a spinning jump slash, sending Lila flying. "Now Poppi! Go!"

Poppi quickly went after Lila where the two began to fight while flying. They ended up breaking through the glass and took their fighting to the rest of the factory.

"This is getting out of hand," Jin remarked.

"You think?" Nia added.

"Don't let her win, Poppi!" Ethan cheered.

"I won't, Ethan!" Poppi then flew at Lila and met her fellow artificial Blade head-on.

"Comprehension error," Lila stated as they fought. "Your integrated ether furnace is not fully activated. As an updated model, my energy output is… superior."

"Energy difference is not a problem," Poppi said as she blocked Lila's kick with her arms. "Ethan told me not to lose, so I will win. Very simple logic."

"Comprehension error."

"And that is why you are a failure!" Poppi then grabbed Lila and threw her back into the room where the others were, slamming the artificial Blade into the wall below Bana and Muimui. Lila was badly damaged and was unable to get back up.

"Lila!" James exclaimed in worry.

Ethan, however, failed to notice this and threw his saber to Poppi. "Finish the job, Poppi!"

"W-wait!" James tried to say, but it was too late. Poppi had already begun to charge at the downed artificial Blade.

Suddenly James jumped in front of Lila, forcing Poppi to halt her attack.

"Dad? What are you…?" Ethan asked.

"I can't do it, Ethan," James said. "I'm sorry, but even if she doesn't listen to me… even if she becomes a weapon for evil… I can't let her be destroyed. She's all I've got left of my father, Professor Harold!"

"Comprehension… error…" Lila said.

"What you think you are doing?!" Bana exclaimed as he held a controller, which he used to force Lila to get up. "No need to bother protecting yourself! Steal that ether furnace even if it destroys you!"

Lila slowly, but hesitantly, approached Ethan and Poppi.

"I… I…" Lila stuttered.

"You don't need to listen to Bana's orders, Lila!" James pleaded. "Fight him!"

"Hurry and take it!" Bana commanded.

"My… my… master is…" Lila struggled to say, "My master is… Professor Harold and Professor James." Lila then ripped out a device from her body and crushed it in her palm, causing Bana's controller to self-destruct.

"What?!" Bana exclaimed in shock. "She destroy control device on her own?!"

Lila then collapsed but was quickly caught by Poppi.

"I'm very proud of you… sister," Poppi said.

James then embraced Lila.

Bana, on the other hand, looked ready to burst with rage. "This not how it supposed to go! What happen to activation of Rosa?!"

"She ready when you are!" Muimui said.

"Good! Let's go!" Bana and Muimui then fled the room through a secret passage.

"Where did they go?" Frank questioned.

"Frank, we should find them," Jin said.

The Aegis Driver nodded in agreement. "Ethan! Poppi!" Frank said. "You take care of the professor and Lila. The rest of us will take down those scoundrels."

"Give them a good thrashing for me," Ethan replied.

"Will do," Mythra said.

Frank and the others then hurried out of the room and explored the factory.

"So I'm guessing we're not going to be sneaky anymore?" Nia questioned.

"They already know we're here," Frank explained. "There's no point in sneaking around any more."

As the group searched for Bana and Muimui, they were attacked by more Tirkin, but they were easily dealt with. Eventually they came to a large empty corridor.

"Where's Bana?" Sonum said. "We couldn't have passed him, could we?"

"I don't think so," Jin said. "We would've noticed otherwise."

Suddenly the ground began shaking.

"Nopon go!" exclaimed Bana and Muimui as they flew in a machine. A part of the room opened up and revealed a giant version of Lila.

"Wha-what the hell is that?" Nia exclaimed.

Bana's flying machine then merged with the giant Lila, activating it.

The group could hear Bana laughing through the speaker. "Wahahaha! How you like that?! This is secret weapon based on blueprints of Lila… Gigantic Artificial Blade: Rosa! Ahahaha!"

"You enlarged the design…" Dromarch said. "Incredible."

"Please don't encourage him," Sonum deadpanned.

"Wahahah! Now you all bow before the power of Bana! Go get them, Rosa!"

Frank groaned. "Ugh… This is too ridiculous for words," he said. "Come on! Let's send this thing back to the scrapyard!"

The group then readied for battle. Rosa made the first move by firing a barrage of missiles at Frank and Mythra, but thanks to Foresight, they were able to avoid being hit.

Jin, Sonum, and Nia began attacking Rosa from the sides and were barely making a dent. Frank quickly used Double Spinning Edge from the machine's front, but even his arts weren't causing much damage. He then had to avoid being crushed by the robot, along with Jin and Nia.

"Mythra! You're up!" Frank tossed her the Aegis Sword, which she effortlessly caught with one hand.

"About time!" Mythra then encased herself in light energy. "Photon Edge!" Mythra then unleashed a barrage of light-speed slashes across Rosa's body, covering it with injuries, but it was still operational. Rosa then tried to step on the Aegis, but Mythra quickly retreated to her Driver and returned the sword to him.

"Great, not even Mythra can bring it down," Sonum said. "Now what?"

"Allow me!" Dromarch said. "I shall serve as a decoy. And then…"

"No," said a familiar voice. "I'll handle this."

The group turned and saw Ethan and Poppi behind them. The artificial Blade was literally radiating with power.

"Poppi!" Mythra said in surprise. "This energy is incredible!"

"It's all thanks to my sister, Lila," Poppi explained. "Thanks to her, I've managed to fully activate my ether furnace!"

"Poppi!" Ethan exclaimed. "Show them your real power!"

"With pleasure!" Mech arms then appeared on Poppi's arms before the artificial Blade charged at Rosa and punched her in the chest, sending Rosa crashing into a wall.

"Incredible," Jin remarked. "Considering we were just struggling to make a dent in it."

"Here you go, Ethan!" Poppi tossed the mech arms to her Driver, who caught and equipped them.

"Thanks. Follow my lead, everyone!" Ethan then charged at Rosa.

Everyone looked at Frank, who simply shrugged before running after Ethan, with Mythra in tow. The others soon followed.

Ethan and Poppi held Rosa's attention while the rest of their friends attacked from the sides. Frank switched the Aegis Sword for Jin's Ice Nodachi and did an Ultraslash across Rosa's back, leaving a deep gash, before returning the nochachi to the Ice Blade and regaining Mythra's sword.

"Dark Maelstrom!" Sonum and Dromarch shouted as they released a huge torrent of water at the large artificial Blade, frying some of its circuits.

"Let's finish this Poppi!" Ethan declared.

"Roger that!" the purple-haired Blade said.

Ethan tossed the mech arms to Poppi, who promptly unleashed a Jet Biter at Rosa. The attack pierced right through Rosa, causing the Blade to lose all power.

"Hah!" Ethan cheered as Poppi returned the mech arms to him. "Justice always prevails!"

"Hey guys!" Nia said. "Bana's trying to get away!"

Everyone turned and saw Bana fleeing deeper into the factory. Muimui, on the other hand, was lying on the ground, unconscious.

"I don't think so," Frank said. "After him!"

The group then hurried after the greedy Nopon and found themselves in an indoor port with a natural entrance. They quickly caught up with Bana.

"Hold it, Bana!" Frank ordered. "That's far enough! It's high time you answer for all the things you've done!"

"You won't be producing any more artificial Blades either," Ethan added. "You've used my grandfather's research for evil long enough!"

"But how will I make money?!" Bana exclaimed. "How much you think I poured into this endeavor?!"

"I don't really care!" Frank said. "We'll be handing you over to the Imperial army. They'll be really interested to hear what you've had Lila do. And I bet that won't be the only thing they can dig up on you."

"I-is it too late for deal?" Bana said fearfully.

Suddenly a new voice said, "That Nopon is still of use to us… Do you really have to interfere?"

The group turned and saw Mikhail and Patroka, along with their Blades, Cressidus and Perdido, behind them. Patroka had a large rifle strapped to her back while Mikhail had large metal fist-weapons.

"Who are you?!" Jin demanded.

"I'm Patroka, and this is Mikhail. We're members of Torna."

"Torna?!" the group exclaimed in shock.

"Well, well," Mikhail said. "I never thought we'd run into the Aegis in a place like this. Ah, truly the heavens must have blessed us that we…"

Patroka then punched her comrade in the face. "Mik… Please, _shut up_."

"Kay."

"The Drivers, we kill, the Aegis we retrieve. Got it? It's a pain, but that's the mission." Patroka drew her rifle.

"Mythra is my friend and partner!" Frank replied as he and his friends drew their weapons. "I won't let you take her!"

The Tornan Drivers and their Blades then charged at the group. Mikhail went straight for Frank, who quickly avoided his attack. Perdido tried to strike the Aegis Driver with his multiple weapons, but Jin intercepted him.

"I don't think so," the Paragon of Torna said.

Sonum tried to help Frank to overpower Mikhail, but the Tornan Driver proved tp be resilient. Nia and Ethan weren't faring much better against Patroka, as her weapon inflicted massive damage with every attack that hit.

Frank went to help Jin fight off Perdido, but the Blade's multiple weapons and hands allowed him to block all their attacks with ease. Meanwhile Mythra was examining the ceiling, analayzing it. Eventually Frank and his team were forced back.

"These guys are tough," Frank said.

"One's got weapons galore, the other's a master of defense," Nia added. "It's like trying to fight a small army."

"Frank, I'm ready," Mythra said suddenly.

Frank turned to the Aegis, knowing exactly what she meant. "Seriously? We're inside a building!"

"I analyzed the structural integrity," Mythra explained. "It should survive one blow." She then eyed a crane a few feet behind the Torna members. "But we'll have to do it right beneath that crane… Anywhere else is too risky."

"All right. Then let's force them over there. Guys?"

"Sounds like a plan," Nia said.

"Understood," Ethan said.

"We can pull this off," Sonum added.

"I'm with you," Jin finished.

Frank and Sonum charged at Perdido and Mikhail respectfully. After a few clashes with their weapons, the first duo was forced back to their Blades.

"Just give up," Patroka said as she prepared to fire her rifle.

Suddenly a wall of blue flames separated the two groups.

"What?!" Patroka exclaimed. "Blue flames?!"

Frank smiled as he recognized a familiar duo enter the fray. "Meg! Brighid!"

"Honestly," Meg remarked, almost in a scolding manner. "Did not you say you wouldn't be reckless, Brother?"

"Things got complicated. Thanks though."

Meg then turned towards the Tornan Drivers and with the flick of her swords, parted the wall of flames.

"It's the… Flamebringer…" Patroka said bitterly.

"As if we didn't have enough to deal with already?" Mikhail said sarcastically.

"Meg, can you push them back towards that crane?" Frank asked his sister.

"Do you actually have a plan, or is that too much to expect?" Meg questioned.

"Hurtful, sis. Have a little faith in me."

Meg simply smirked. "Very well. Let's go!"

The Flamebringer charged at the Tornan Drivers, her comrades right behind her. Mikhail moved to intercept her but found himself forced back by Meg's Hellfire. Cressidus tried to punch the female Driver, but Brighid unleashed a stream of blue fire at the Blade, stopping his attack. Patroka was having difficulty fighting off Frank, as he kept the distance between them close, too close for her to fire her rifle.

Soon the Tornan Drivers were near the crane.

"I guess they don't call her the strongest Driver in the Empire for nothing," Mikhail said.

"Let's surround them with a wall of flame," Meg said.

Frank quickly caught on to her intentions. "Pyra and Brighid working together? Now that sounds like a plan."

"We will attack from the left," Brighid said. "Can you handle the right?"

Mythra then switched to Pyra. "All right, then. We'll try to match your timing! Then I'll switch to Mythra right away!"

"Let's go!" Meg exclaimed.

The team quickly split up and began surrounding the Tornan Drivers.

"Jokers," Mikhail said. "Trying to surround _us_?"

Meg sent a blast of blue flames at the blonde-haired Driver, but he blocked it with his weapons.

"Not a chance!" he cried out.

"Dromarch! Wild Roar!" Sonum ordered. The tiger Blade obeyed and unleashed a roar attack on Mikhail from the side.

"What?!" Mikhail said in disbelief as he felt himself being pushed back.

"Ngh… Try to focus, Mik!" Patroka ordered. Suddenly she saw Jin launch a group of icicles her way, prompting the Driver to block with her rifle. "Don't get cocky!"

Ethan quickly took advantage of the opening the Ice Blade made and had Poppi fire a Jet Biter at the female Driver with the mech arms, forcing Patroka and her allies under the crane.

"Now!" Meg exclaimed as she and Frank charged at the enemy from opposite sides. "Azure Striker, Form the Second: Radiance!" Meg slammed her whipswords into the ground, sending a wave of blue flames at the enemy Drivers and Blades.

"Rolling Smash!" Frank struck his sword against the ground, also sending a wave of crimson flames at the Drivers and Blades. The two flame attacks quickly merged and surrounded the Tornan members.

Everyone then watched as Mythra jumped into the air and had Siren fire a particle beam right at the Tornan Drivers from the outside. The group had to shield their eyes from the shockwave created from the blast before seeing that the Torna members were seemingly unharmed.

"No way," Sonum said. "They're still standing after that…?!"

"No…" Meg interrupted as she observed them more carefully. "She calculated the precise power output required. That's the Aegis for you. Remarkable."

The team noticed that Cressidus and Perdido reverted back into Core Crystals, although they were both cracked. Patroka and Mikhail's weapons also dissolved into blue light.

"I get it," Nia said. "She was aiming for their Blades' cores."

"While also beating up the bad guys in the process," Ethan added.

Patroka, on the other hand, looked furious. "Why… why you pieces of trash!?" she shouted. "How dare you destroy my beloved weapon! I'll tear you all to pieces! I'll slaughter you all! I'll shred you where you stand!" A dark-red aura then surrounded Patroka.

"What the heck?" Jin said in confusion. "What's she doing?"

"Stop!" Mikhail pleaded. "You can't use that here, Patroka!"

"Such immense power," Meg said as she sensed incredible power coming from the female Torna member. "Just who is this girl?!"

Suddenly Patroka collapsed as blue energy sphere surrounded her, canceling her aura.

"My body, it won't…"

"Patroka!" Mikhail ran to his comrade. "This power… could it be…?"

The group turned and saw a black-haired woman carrying a staff. She wore a white and red robe and had a triangle-shaped Core Crystal on her chest, signaling that she was a Blade. Both Mythra and Jin gasped in shock when they saw her.

"Who's that?" Frank asked in confusion.

"So that's what's going on," Mikhail said bitterly. "That piece of Indoline scum!"

"D-did you say Indol?" Patroka stuttered, sounding almost afraid.

"We're outmatched. We need to go now!"

"But I'm not done killing them yet."

"We already got what we came for," Mikhail reasoned. "Besides, Akhos would have my head if something happened to you. Time to go!" He then picked up Patroka in his arms, despite her protests, and started running to the edge of the dock.

"You're not getting away!" Meg ran in hot pursuit. Suddenly a submarine ship emerged from the docks. Mikhail, while carrying Patroka, quickly jumped aboard as the vehicle made its exit.

"That ship!" Frank said as he recognized it. "It's the same one Zeke and Malos had back on Temporal Island. So it was here the whole time!"

The Monoceros fired a few rounds at Meg to cover its escape. The Flamebringer was able to block them with ease, but the ship was long gone.

"Meg!" Frank exclaimed as he and Brighid ran to her.

"Are you alright, Lady Margaret?" Brighid asked in concern.

"Don't worry," the Special Inquisitor said. "It'll take more than that to dispatch me. But they got away."

The group then turned their attention to the mysterious Blade.

"Fan la Norne," Meg said.

"Goddess of the Praetorium," Brighid added. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Did you say 'Fan'?" Mythra questioned. Jin looked equally confused.

**Meanwhile**

On the Marsanes, Zeke approached a woman frozen in black ice. "It won't be long now, Selena," he said.

**To be continued**


	21. Chapter 21: Return to Leftheria

**Chapter 21- Return to Leftheria**

Frank and his friends were on a ship heading for Leftheria, with Fan la Norne, Meg and Brighid accompanying them. Mythra saw Fan by the bow of the ship and flash backed to their encounter back at the factory.

**Flashback**

"Who are you?" Frank asked the black-haired Blade.

"I am Fan La Norne, envoy for the Indoline Praetorium."

"Oh… uh, hi," Frank said nervously.

"You are Frank, correct?" Fan said. "Praetor Amalthus requests an audience. Please come with me."

"Huh? What would the Praetor want with me?"

"The Praetorium manages every Blade and Driver in Alrest. And since you're the Driver of the Aegis…"

"The Praetorium wants that power for itself," Meg guessed.

Fan shook her head. "Not at all, my lady. The Praetor… would like to meet his fellow Aegis Driver. He wishes to speak with Master Frank. That is all."

"Wait, Praetor Amalthus is an Aegis Driver?" Ethan questioned. "Does that mean he's…?"

"Yes, he is Malos's Driver. There is another matter. I believe you currently have a certain dagger in your possession?"

"What? You know that too?" Frank questioned.

"Of course," Fan said. "The dagger's original owner was the Praetor, after all."

"So, the Praetor is Cole's Driver as well?" Nia remarked. "Just how old is he?"

"The current Praetor is Indoline," Meg explained. "They're known for their longevity, so its not that hard to believe."

Frank folded his arms. "Well that would explain why Cole said that the dagger's owner would know how to get to the World Tree."

"So what is your decision?" Fan questioned. "You certainly won't regret it. An audience with Praetor Amalthus is an honor."

Frank paused to think.

"Be careful, Frank," Sonum warned. "This sounds too good to be true."

"What are your thoughts, Mythra?" Frank turned towards the Aegis. "You noticed, right? As soon as we met Minoth."

Mythra nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Though I had no idea he became the Praetor, of all things."

"Should we…?"

"There's a lot I want to ask him. I want to know what happened after me, Jin and Brighid went to sleep. And of course… How is it that you happen to be here, Fan."

"All right, then," Frank said. "I want to meet him too. We'll go."

**Present Day**

"Haze," Mythra muttered before approaching her fellow Blade, prompting the latter to turn and face her.

"Lady Mythra?" Fan questioned. "What are you doing out so late? Can't you sleep? At this time of year, the nights can be bitter. Please don't catch a cold."

"I'm a Blade," the Aegis reminded. "We don't exactly catch colds."

Fan looked a little embarrassed. "Of course. My apologies."

"Haze… You really don't remember?" Mythra said with sorrow in her voice.

Fan raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh? I'm afraid you have me mistaken… I am Fan la Norne, Blade to Praetor Amalthus."

Mythra lowered her gaze to Fan's Core Crystal, which she found odd. "Right. Amalthus." Mythra then looked Fan in the eye. "Sorry, my mistake. You just reminded me of someone I knew. It is getting cold. I think I'll return to my room, after all."

"Very well. Good night, Lady Mythra."

"Night, Fan."

The Aegis walked off to her room.

_Mythra, did you see her Core Crystal shape?_ Pyra asked suddenly.

_I did. That's not a normal resonance. _Mythra replied. _But it's not like with us and Frank, either. I guess that's one more question for the Praetor._

_Do you want me to take over?_

_No, I'm alright._ Mythra then entered her room, which she shared with Nia and Sonum.

"You were out late," Sonum said. "Is there something wrong?"

Mythra shook her head. "No. I just talked with Fan la Norne. I was… curious about her, is all."

Both Nia and Sonum were too tired to question the Aegis further, so they all called it a night and went to sleep.

**Meanwhile**

Frank and Jin were up discussing things in their room. Azurda, Dromarch and Ethan were all fast asleep.

"You know Fan, don't you?" Frank questioned. "You and Mythra?"

The Ice Blade nodded. "Her real name is Haze. She and I were Lora's Blades."

Frank's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, _that's_ Haze?! The one you've told me about? So why doesn't she recognize you? Wasn't she sealed away just like you?"

Jin shook his head. "It's a long story. Lora was badly injured around then, and she was only able to seal one of us. Haze insisted that I'd be the one to be sealed away. Amalthus must have found her Core Crystal sometime afterward and awoke her. But I don't know why she goes by Fan la Norne now, or why her Core Crystal looks different."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nevermind." Jin stretched his arms and yawned. "Anyway, we've got a long day ahead of us. Let's get some sleep."

Frank eyed his Blade in suspicion but chose to dismiss his thoughts and go to bed.

**Meanwhile on the Marsanes**

Zeke was examining all the Core Crystals that Torna had collected. He was soon joined by Malos.

"Is it working?" Malos asked his leader.

Zeke nodded. "Yes. I can hear the Blades' voices now."

"Good. Come with me. Akhos has found something interesting."

Malos led Zeke to Akhos, who was by a terminal. There, Akhos showed their leader footage of the Ardainian excavation on Temperantia.

"I found out about the excavation through some rumors I heard," Akhos explained. "So I thought I should check it out, and, er…"

"That's a Judicium Titan weapon," Zeke said suddenly.

"Judicium…" Akhos said in surprise. "I know that name."

"Of course." Malos folded his arms. "It was destroyed during the Aegis War, or so they think. It was actually destroyed long before then and eventually became Indol. And its where the Flesh Eaters were created."

Akhos adjusted his glasses. "Is that so… How interesting."

"What should we do?" Malos asked the Tornan leader.

"If it's a threat to us, then it should be destroyed," Zeke said. "Or we could make use of it."

"Damn it all!" Patroka exclaimed as she and Mikhail entered the room. "I can't believe this!"

"Hello, Patroka," Akhos greeted. "And a very good day to you too."

"Don't tell me…" Malos started.

"No, don't worry about it," Mikhail interrupted. "We got the goods, no problem."

"Well that's something," Akhos said. "So why the temper tantrum?"

Mikhail then explained what happened back at the factory.

"So an envoy from the Praetor no less," Malos said. "Interesting."

"Zeke," Mikhail said. "It's Haze. No doubt about it. It looks like Amalthus is her Driver now."

Zeke paused before speaking. "Mikhail, how goes the work on the Marsanes?"

Mikhail was confused with the subject change, but said, "It's going all right. It'll take a little longer than we thought, but we'll get there."

"Very well. Akhos, where is the Aegis heading?"

Akhos pulled up a map of Alrest on the monitor. "Based on the sightings I've found and the ether readings, the Aegis is heading for the Leftherian Archipelago by ship."

"They must be heading for Indol," Zeke guessed. He began to walk out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Mikhail said.

"Temperantia, to buy us some time."

"What about the Aegis?" Patroka asked. "If that man gets inside her head…"

"Relax," Malos interrupted. "That's not how Mythra works. In fact, she'll be a big help to us. After all, only an Aegis can open a path to the World Tree."

Zeke looked over his shoulder. "Malos, there's a lot of work to be done on what we got from the Guild. I want you guys to stay here and help Mikhail. I'll go to Temperantia, alone."

"Fine by me," Malos said.

"Very well," Akhos added. "Be careful out there."

Zeke then headed out.

**The Next Day**

Frank and his friends were at the bow of the ship and saw the Leftherian Archipelago in sight.

"Indol is currently positioned beyond the Cloud Ridge," Fan explained. "It'll take us a while to sail across, so we'll be traveling over land from here."

"I suppose that not even a Titan ship could surpass such an obstacle," Dromarch voiced.

"If we have to walk, we'd best getting moving right after we dock," Meg added.

"There will be a transport ship waiting for us on the other side of the Archipelago," Fan explained.

"Man, its been a while since we've last been here," Frank said, feeling a wave of nostalgia.

"I know," Mythra agreed. "It almost feels like the first time we came to the Archipelago."

"Oh yeah," Sonum realized. "I forgot you two spent a year here with Jin, Azurda, and Nia."

"Brother, might I ask if we visit Fonsett Village?" Meg asked curiously. "I'd like to see where our mother grew up."

Frank nodded in understanding. "Of course. Truth be told, that's actually one of the safest routes. I'm sure you all will love the village."

Soon the ship docked at the harbor, prompting the group, and Fan, to get off.

"Hey Meg," Sonum said suddenly. "Are you sure it's alright for you to be traveling with us? Don't you have your duties as Special Inquisitor?"

"General Luke can handle my duties in my absence," Meg revealed. "You see, I volunteered to be a representative of the Empire. It's a big deal for the Praetor to ask an audience with the Driver of the Aegis."

"That's understandable," Fan replied. "It wouldn't help politically if Indol concealed this information from the other nations. You're more than welcome to come, Special Inquisitor Margaret."

Frank chuckled. "Please. Meg just volunteered just so she'd have an excuse to travel with us again."

Meg rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Whatever, Brother."

"Might I suggest we get moving?" Brighid said. "We're wasting daylight just standing here."

"Agreed," Jin said. "We'll lead the way to Fonsett Village. Everyone, stay close. There are a lot of tough monsters around here."

The group then headed off towards Fonsett Village. Along the way, they were attacked by monsters, but they were easily dispatched. They soon reached the tunnel that Frank and Mythra had used the first time to reach Fonsett Village. The sun was already setting by the time the group found themselves in Fonsett Village.

Almost immediately afterward, children quickly swarmed around the Aegis Driver.

"Frank!" Jake said excitedly. "You're back!"

Frank patted the boy's head. "Long time no see, Jake. Where's Corinne?"

"She's in the house," Rachel said. "Wait here. I'll go get her." The little girl bolted to the house.

"How have you been, Frank?" Hunter asked in curiosity. "You haven't gotten into any trouble during your travels, have you?"

"Relax, Hunter," Mythra said proudly. "I've been with Frank the whole time. There's nothing that could cause trouble for us."

"We're here too, you know," Nia said, looking annoyed. Jin merely shook his head at Mythra's antics.

Meg examined the village. "So, this is where Mother lived. It's very peaceful here."

"I agree," Corinne said as she approached the group with Rachel in tow. "Welcome back, Frank, Mythra, Azurda, Jin, and Nia. Are these all your friends?"

"Yep," Frank said. He then introduced everyone. Corinne was very happy to finally meet Meg, knowing that she was Selena's daughter.

"We're on our way to Indol, but we decided to stop by here to rest," Jin said.

"Corinne, you wouldn't happen to have a place to put us for the night," Azurda added. "Long day and all."

"Of course. Stay as long as you like. What's mine is yours."

"Thanks a bunch, Corinne," Frank said. "I think I'll go for a walk first."

"All right. Just leave your friends with me."

"Mythra, Meg, can you come with me? There's something I want to show you two. You're welcome to come too, Brighid."

"All right," Mythra said.

"Very well," the Flamebringer added.

Corinne led the others to her house, while Frank took Mythra, Meg and Brighid to a graveyard near the outskirts of the village. The Aegis Driver showed the Special Inquisitor two certain gravestones.

"Jin and I made these before we left for Gormott," Frank explained. "They're for our parents."

Grief filled Meg's eyes. "I understand why you did this." She folded her arms. "We've haven't received any word whether our parents are alive or not for the past six years. It's only natural to assume that they're dead. Still, I wish we got some confirmation on what happened to them."

"Meg," Brighid muttered under her breath in concern.

"I do too," Frank said. "This is my way of moving on. When I met Marth and learned his story, it made me realize I had a long way to go to reach his level. I can't let the past bother me and I need to start focusing on the future instead."

"I'm sure you can find a place in Mor Ardain," Meg offered. "Emporer Niall would love to meet you."

Frank smiled. "I'd love to meet him too. Let's head back to the others. It's almost dinner time."

The quartet headed for Corinne's house. Mythra switched to Pyra to help Corinne with the cooking. Jin, who was surprisingly a good cook as well, also pitched in. After dinner, Corinne and Pyra went outside and sat at the porch.

"I forgot how peaceful it is here," Pyra said. "It almost makes all the fighting we've done feel like just a dream."

"Fonsett is removed from everything else, you see," Corinne replied. "I think if everyone could live like this, the world would be a happier place." She faced the Aegis. "You know, between you and me, I think Frank still misses his parents."

"Actually, he did show Mythra the graves he and Jin made for them today," Pyra confessed. "He doesn't really like to talk about his past that much, even to me and Mythra. It must bring back a lot of bad memories for him. Something I know all too well."

"It's obvious that he's suffered more than enough loss for one lifetime." Corinne looked ready to burst into tears.

Pyra's eyes filled with grief. "Then… maybe I shouldn't be by Frank's side after all."

Corinne looked at the Aegis, surprised. "Why? Don't you care for him?"

Pyra tried hard not to blush at the comment. "I do, although Mythra has much stronger feelings for him than me, but if I stick around… he'll suffer even more… lose even more. So maybe… Maybe Frank is better off without me. Frank… and the whole world. They don't need me. That's just how it feels."

"Now, dear…"

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Brighid had overheard their conversation before going back inside the house.

**Meanwhile on Temperantia**

Senator Roderich was checking in with the Ardainian forces leading the Judicium Excavation. There were two large Titan weapons.

"Very impressive," Roderich said after reading the files.

"We have refitted the drivetrain to use Ardainian technology," the lead engineer explained. "All of the control mechanisms have been beautifully preserved, so we should finish relatively soon."

Roderich looked up at the Titan weapons. "Finally, we will be able to compensate for our forces' depletion. The Gormott struggle takes its toll."

"Sir."

"And there are no safety concerns, I trust? The explosion three months ago was most unfortunate. Or had you forgotten?"

"We've been running a sedative drip through the Titan's fluids, since then," the engineer said. "No further difficulties. We also encased the back end with composite steel. That should withstand sustained enemy fire. Even if it were to blow up… it would be in enemy territory."

"A pyrrhic victory, I'd say," Roderich replied.

"Well, the crew has escape pods," the engineer defended.

"Escape pods? You sure you don't mean coffins?" Roderich questioned.

The engineer stumbled on how to respond. Instead, he led the senator to the deck of the Titan weapon.

"Judicium," Roderich said. "The dead nation that realized Flesh Eater technology. I cannot say that I find their creations tasteful."

"I'm aware you do not agree with the principle of fusing Blades with human cells," the engineer replied. "Most people don't."

Roderich shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

"I'm sorry, sir. What exactly do you mean?" the engineer asked, confused.

"It's said that Flesh Eaters were created in the quest for even stronger Blades," Roderich explained. "But is that really true? What I see in them is a shadow of a people scrabbling to prolong their own existence. I look at them and see ourselves. That's what I truly despise." Roderich paused before facing the lead engineer. "I will leave for Indol shortly. Much remains to be done."

**The next day**

Frank and his friends were getting ready to leave Fonsett and head for the meeting point. Before they left, they said their farewells to the villagers.

"Thanks for everything, Corinne," Frank said.

"You're very welcome, Frank. Take of yourself out there. You too, Azurda."

"You know me," the Titan said from Frank's hood. "I prefer the quiet life."

The children also said goodbye to the Aegis Driver and his friends.

"Pyra, remember what we talked about," Corinne reminded. "No matter what you've been through, you can always rely on Frank. He's a strong young man."

The red-haired Aegis nodded. "I will. Thank you."

Frank looked at Pyra, confused. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" he asked obliviously.

Both Pyra and Corinne laughed.

"Nothing at all," Pyra said innocently. "Right?"

"Nothing for your ears, Frank," Corinne agreed. "You just concentrate on what you're doing. Work hard and do your best!"

Frank scratched his head sheepishly. "O-kay. I will."

The Aegis Driver and his friends then departed from the village. They went through several islands before finally arriving at the air dock, where they were met by four familiar faces.

"Finally," Jason said as he and his group came into view. "You guys sure took your sweet little time getting here."

Meg gasped at the sight of her boyfriend. "Jason?"

"Hey Shellhead, Sparky," Nia greeted.

The two Drivers just casually waved.

"Are you guys still after Pyra?" Ethan asked. "Because this is getting really old."

Meg and Brighid both looked confused at what the mechanic said.

"Actually, we're here for a different reason," Mika said.

"What are you talking about?" Jin questioned in suspicion.

"We want to see just how strong you really are, Frank," Jason explained. "Mika and I have been waiting here for three whole days already!"

"Three days?! Seriously?" Nia said in exasperation. "No thanks. I don't pick on idiots."

Jason smirked. "Well then," he said as he drew his sword. "Fight us and we'll see who the idiots are."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "Wait, how'd you know we would be here?"

"Beat us and we might tell you." Mika drew his hammer and eyed the Flamebringer, who had her arms folded. "You wanna join in, Meg?"

Surprisingly, Meg looked away with disinterest. "No, you all just go on ahead."

Frank faced his sister in confusion. "Huh? Why?" He was well aware that Meg never backed down from a fight, yet she was choosing to sit this one out.

"Well, well," Jason remarked. "Looks like the illustrious Flamebringer won't be helping you this time!"

"Thanks for the concern," Nia said as she and her friends drew their weapons, "but shouldn't you be worried about yourselves? Big tree to your right, big rock to your left, and a cliff right behind you. Which one will get you guys this time I wonder?"

Jason maintained his confident smirk. "Not today, furry ears."

Suddenly Jason and Pandoria emitted blue electricity and charged at the group at high speed, almost like a lightning bolt. The attack knocked everyone, except Jin, who managed to move out of the way, off their feet. Jason and Pandoria stood with pride from their attack's success. Meg, Brighid and Fan la Norne just stood by and watched.

"Man, he's strong," Frank commented.

"What the hell was that?!" Nia exclaimed.

"Well then," Jason said as he and Pandoria turned to face the downed Drivers and Blades. He rested his sword on his shoulders. "Feel like taking us seriously, now?"

"How… how did he do that?" Ethan questioned.

"Thunderbolt Jason," Meg said suddenly. "Tantal's most powerful Driver… and it's crown prince."

"Wait what?!" Nia exclaimed in shock.

"Did you know about this, Frank?" Jin asked as he helped his Driver up. The others got to their feet as well.

Frank had a sheepish grin on his face. "Yeah. I guess I forgot to mention that. My bad."

"Mika has a nickname as well," Meg continued. "He is commonly known as the Chaosbringer. It's impressive to see how far they've improved over the year we've been in Alrest."

"It's an honor to be praised by the Flamebringer herself," Kasandra said cheerfully.

"So are you all gonna pack it in here?" Mika taunted.

"As if!" Frank said. "The real battle starts now."

"I'm right with you!" Pyra agreed as she prepared to transfer her power to her Driver. "Now let's show them what we've got!"

"That's the spirit!" Jason declared as he took a fighting stance. "Bring it on!"

Frank's group split up in order to fight the two Drivers. Frank, Jin and Pyra chose to battle Jason, while the others went after Mika.

Jason showed to have increased his agility once again as he was able to parry attacks from both Frank and Jin back-to-back.

"Overload Thunder Beam!" Jason exclaimed as he fired a beam of blue lightning from his sword at the trio.

Jin quickly summoned a wall of ice, blocking the Art before shattering it. Frank then countered with Rolling Smash, but Pandoria protected her Driver with her defense barrier. The two Drivers then charged at each other, flames and blue sparks dancing in the air as their swords clashed.

Meanwhile, Ethan and the others weren't having much luck. Mika decided to change things up by having Wulfric fight beside him, which made things much harder for them.

Kasandra unleashed Secret Desire, causing a purple elemental orb to orbit around the group, which Mika promptly shattered with his hammer. The explosion that quickly followed knocked the Drivers and their Blades back, while also injuring them.

Things didn't let up as Wulfric fired an orange energy beam from his chest at them, but Poppi blocked it with her Noponic Axiom, which was a blue laser beam.

"Man, Mika's really improved since last time," Sonum said.

"No kidding," Ethan replied. "Now what?"

"Might I suggest that we split up?" Poppi said. "Ethan and I can handle Mika and Kasandra. Sonum, Dromarch and Nia, you three will take out Wulfric."

"Why us?" Nia questioned.

"You'll need agility to handle a Blade like Wulfric," Poppi explained. "Besides, it's too risky for all of us to focus on the same target. That will surely result in our defeat."

"Well it's better than nothing," Sonum said. "Let's do this."

"I will do what you wish, my lady," Dromarch said.

Ethan and Poppi charged at Mika and Kasandra, the two Drivers locking weapons. Sonum used Gemini Loop from his Driver. Her twin rings clashed against the Earth Blade's lance, while Nia attacked from behind. Sonum and Dromarch then unleashed Dark Maelstrom, which forced Wulfric to his knees.

"No…" was all the Earth Blade said before he blacked out.

"Wulfric!" Mika shouted in worry. He was about to run to his Blade, when he suddenly tripped on a rock, giving the opening Ethan and Poppi needed to send the Chaosbringer flying into the railing on the edge of the cliff with Quantum Judgement.

"Damn it," Mika muttered under his breath before he fell to his knees. Kasandra hurried to her Driver and helped him up. She knew that the fight was over for them.

Back to Frank and Jason, the Aegis Driver forced the Thunderbolt to the boulder, with Jin blocking all possible escape routes with walls of ice. Both Drivers looked exhausted and were covered with scratches.

"Not bad, Frank," Jason said.

"Right back at you, Jason. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you and Pandoria are on Meg and Brighid's level."

"You're still holding back though," Jason remarked. "Bring out the Aegis's true power!"

Frank smirked. "If that's what you want… Pyra!"

"You got it!" Pyra then changed to Mythra, who cracked an arrogant smirk. "You're gonna regret this, Jason!"

"We'll see," Pandoria said confidently. She and her Driver began discharging blue lightning from their bodies.

"Sonic Thunderslash!" the duo cried out before charging at the trio at high-speed. Jason swung his sword at Frank's chest but was shocked when Mythra suddenly blocked it with the Aegis Sword.

"What the?" Jason said in confusion. He then remembered Mythra's Foresight ability.

"I knew you were gonna do that," Mythra remarked. "Frank, Jin, now!"

The Thunderbolt and his Blade turned around and saw Jin and Frank were right behind them, the Aegis Driver wielding the Ice Blade's nodachi.

"Oh, crap," Pandoria said, knowing they were finished.

"Midnight Sun!" Frank and Jin shouted in sync. Frank began by slashing at the duo with the Ice Nodachi, before Jin followed it up by pelting them with ice projectiles. Frank then passed the sword to Jin, who then did several high-speed slashes on Jason, forcing the Tantalese prince to the ground.

"My prince!" Pandoria cried out in worry as she knelt beside her wounded Driver.

Frank and Jin then high-fived each other, with Mythra joining in.

"Great thinking, Frank," Jin praised as his Driver returned the Ice Nodachi to him. "Having Mythra act as a decoy so we could attack them while they were vulnerable."

"If it wasn't for Mythra's Foresight, I doubt it would've worked," Frank passed off. "Besides, we all know Jason wouldn't inflict any life-threatening wounds on me."

"What are you talking about?" Jason questioned as he slowly rose to his feet. The others then joined them, including Mika and Kasandra while Wulfric disappeared to recover.

Mythra returned the Aegis Sword to her Driver, who sheathed it to his waist.

"You can drop the act now," Frank said. "I know that you guys were never after Mythra. You're too kindhearted for that."

Surprisingly, Jason let out a hearty laugh as he sheathed his sword. "I see you're as clever as always, Frank. But you're right though. We were never really after Mythra."

"How did they do, Your Highness?" Fan asked curiously.

"I think we can let them into the Praetorium," Jason answered.

"Huh?" Nia said in confusion.

"You see, we've been working for Indol some time now. A kind of special envoy," Mika explained. "They told us to keep an eye out for the Aegis. Actually, we volunteered to. We knew it would be the perfect way for us to find you all again."

"We heard what happened on Temporal Island too," Jason took over. "I'm sorry that we weren't there to help. Also, we're really sorry for testing you all like that."

"We were planning on getting this done in _one _encounter," Pandoria explained. "But you know Mika and his _awful_ luck."

Frank chuckled in amusement. "That we do."

"Oh, come on!" Mika said before leaning on the railing over the cliff. "Everyone has bad days, right?" Suddenly the railing snapped, sending the Chaosbringer tumbling into the Cloud Sea.

"Why meeee?!" the Chaosbringer shouted as he fell.

"Mika!" Kasandra exclaimed in worry before jumping after him.

The others looked over the cliff. "And there he goes again," Ethan said.

"Bad luck indeed," Dromarch commented.

"Uh, should we go after them?" Sonum asked.

"Nah, they'll find their way back," Pandoria said. "Let's just board the ship."

Meg, Brighid and Fan were already aboard. The others simply shrugged before joining them. As the ship departed from the harbor, Frank couldn't help but smile.

"What're you smiling about?" Mythra questioned, her arms folded as usual.

"Nothing, it's just… a year ago we all went our separate ways to get stronger, and now we're finally back together again. Is it wrong for me to be happy about this?"

"Well technically Mika and Kasandra are currently swimming in the Cloud Sea, but I get the point," the Aegis said.

"Now that we're on the same team again, nothing will stop us!" Jason declared.

The Drivers drew their weapons and brought them together. "Yeah!" they all cheered. The Blades all smiled at the sight as the airship flew to Indol.

**To be continued**


	22. Chapter 22: Praetor Amalthus

**Chapter 22- Praetor Amalthus**

Frank and his friends have finally arrived in Indol. They were all speechless at how amazing the nation was. Humans and Nopon walked around, going about their business. The only ones who weren't as impressed were Jin and Mythra, albeit for different reasons.

"This place is so cool!" Ethan praised.

"Only because they're trying too hard," Mythra replied.

"Could you say something without any sarcasm?" Jason deadpanned.

Mythra shrugged. "Sorry, it's just who I am."

"I wouldn't waste your breath, Jason," Frank said. "Mythra's pretty set in her ways, sarcasm and all."

Mythra gave her Driver a death glare. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing!" Frank yelped in fear, causing everyone else to laugh.

"Your audience with the Praetor is scheduled for tomorrow," Fan explained. "Before that, maybe you all would like to look around?"

"Sounds like a plan," Frank said. "Jason, care to give us a tour?"

The Tantalese prince nodded. "Sure. I know this place like the back of my hand. Follow me."

Jason and Pandoria took their friends around the city, showing them the inn and all the stores. During the tour, Frank noticed that Jin seemed off.

"Are you alright, Jin?" Frank asked.

The Paragon of Torna was brought back to reality and said, "Sorry, what did you say?"

"Are you okay? You've been awfully quiet since we arrived."

"Just thinking… about the past."

"Did you remember something?"

"Sort of… one memory comes to mind, but it's too distorted to understand."

"If you need someone to talk to, I'll be more than happy to help," Frank offered.

Jin gave a light smile. "Thanks, Frank."

Soon Jason and Fan began leading the group to the Praetorium. While climbing the stairs, Ethan noticed tents in the courtyard. There was a large sign with writing on it too.

"No more Blades, no more wars," Ethan read aloud. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That, my friend, is an anti-Blade protest," Mika answered, who was right behind Ethan and Nia, along with Kasandra. "The refugees have been really going at it for the last six months."

Nia nearly jumped out of her skin. "Whoa! Where did you come from?" she said in shock. "What'd you do? Swim here?"

"I can't believe you guys ditched us!" Kasandra scolded. "You couldn't have at least waited for us! I thought we were friends!"

Frank just scratched his head sheepishly. "Well at least everyone's here now. So what's this about an anti-Blade protest?"

"The Praetorium is single-handedly in charge of distributing Core Crystals to all the other nations," Meg explained. "They also keep records of every single Blade and Driver in Alrest. Though there are those like Dughall and Bana who try to grab pieces of the pie."

"Therefore, Indol has the power to control war itself?" Dromarch guessed.

"That's one way to look at it," Meg replied.

"But wars are more than just Drivers and Blades," Sonum said.

"I know that, and you know that," Pandoria said, "but that doesn't mean they're going to accept it."

"I guess so," Frank said slowly. He turned to the refugee area. "There's a lot of… Gormotti here."

"They fled the Gormotti War ten years ago," Azurda spoke up. "But here they are, refugees still."

"Yes. They're a weird folk," Jason said. "We feed them, we water them, and this is the thanks we get. Don't they know that manners cost nothing? I swear, you lend these people a hand, they want the whole bloody arm."

"It's easy to disregard things out of your control and direct your anger at targets closer to hand."

Frank eyed the ground.

"Alright, what's on your mind?" Jin asked his Driver, all too familiar with that face.

"Mor Ardain's Titan… it's dying, and everyone knows it," Frank said. "That's why the empire needs Gormott."

Meg folded her arms and nodded. "Our population is large… larger than Uraya's."

"But you don't have the resources to support those people."

"I'm surprised, Frank," Brighid said, sounding impressed. "Even though you've been in Fonsett for a year, you're very well knowledged on current events."

"I had to find something to occupy my time when I wasn't training," Frank replied. "I always made sure I was up to date when it came to the other nations. I also know that words won't change reality."

"Is that why you seek Elysium, Brother?" Meg asked formally.

Frank scratched his head sheepishly. "Partially. The main reason why is because Mythra and Pyra want to go there. But, if it is real, then we wouldn't have to worry about running out of resources. Is that wrong?"

Meg let out a deep sigh. "No, but it feels more like a fantasy than reality."

"Well if it's between Frank and people who harp about justice with no solutions," Nia spoke up, "I'm betting on Frank."

"I must admit, I do respect my brother's drive," the Flamebringer said.

Frank shrugged. "Nah, I'm just moving forward without much of a plan."

They then continued up the stairs until they reached the entrance of the Praetorium.

"Hey Meg, I've got a question for you," Mythra said suddenly.

"What is it?"

"I know that you're aware of how dangerous my power is… how it almost destroyed Alrest," Mythra explained. "You seem very committed to your duties as Special Inquisitor, so I'm just surprised that you're not doing anything to stop me. Why is that?"

"Because… of Addam," Meg said, causing the Aegis to gasp. "Five hundred years ago, he became this great hero, who people still celebrate to this day. To see his Blade in action is a rare opportunity. So here I am, as an ally."

"But you know I'm not Addam," Frank voiced.

"True, but you are the Driver of the Aegis. Once you're under imperial control, you won't be that hero anymore," Meg explained. "You'll need to be careful with how you involve yourself in politics. A single misstep could start a war between all nations."

"Great, no pressure there."

"Are you saying that people with great power should be their own masters?" Mythra guessed.

"Close enough. Interpret it however you want," Meg said. "That's not the only reason why I have chosen not to stop you, though… It's also because I trust you, Mythra. Not only are you my brother's Blade, but you have proven to be a good person multiple times, and a good friend. None moreso than back on Temporal Island, when you and Marth fought against Zeta to save us."

Jason cracked a smile. "That's pretty deep coming from you, Meg. You've definitely come a long way since we first became Drivers."

"Haven't we all, though?" Sonum asked.

"That we have," Frank said, stretching out his arm. "Let's all vow to not let anything separate us again. We're a team, now and forever."

The other Drivers, and their Blades, nodded and stacked their hands together. Even Nia joined in. "Yeah!"

The group then continued into the Praetorium. It looked just as impressive inside its walls as it did outside. Indoline priests were everywhere, tending to the masses. It was getting dark, so Fan showed the group where they would be staying during their visit.

"Your audience with the Praetor is scheduled for tomorrow morning," Fan explained. "It will be in the Sanctum's Audience Chamber. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."

"Okay," Frank said. "Thanks for the help."

"My pleasure. Good night."

The group then headed to the dorm rooms. Frank, Mythra, Azurda and Jin shared one room; Jason, Pandoria, Mika and Kasandra shared another. Meg, Brighid, Sonum and Nia as well while Ethan, Poppi and Dromarch got the fourth.

As they were getting ready for bed, Frank asked, "Hey Mythra, what kind of man was Addam?"

Mythra looked at her Driver curiously before answering. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious about him. He was your old Driver, after all."

Mythra was silent for a few moments. "He was a great man. Even though he was a prince, he always put his people first. He practically inspired people just by being there. He was the most genuine, courageous man I've ever known." She paused. "To be honest, you kinda remind me of him."

"I do, huh," Frank said before realizing. "Wait, I do?!"

Mythra gave one of her rare, genuine laughs. "Yeah, you do. The way you carry yourself, how you try to help people in need, being a natural leader, those are all qualities that Addam had."

"I gotta admit, there are times where _I_ mistake you for Addam sometimes," Jin admitted with a smirk.

Frank scratched the back of his head. "Looks like I've got a lot to live up to if I want to be even half the man Addam was."

"Something tells me that you're going to be better than Addam," Jin remarked.

"What makes you say that?"

"Nothing. Just a Blade's intuition."

Azurda reminded them that they needed to get up early in the morning, so they decided to get some sleep.

**The next day**

Frank woke up and saw Jin wasn't in the room. Mythra and Azurda were still sleeping, so the Aegis Driver decided to let them rest some more. He went out of the dorm to search for the Ice Blade. The morning air was cold, although it didn't bother Frank that much thanks to his coat. He soon found Fan la Norne staring at a mural that seemed to be timeless.

"Oho, has somebody got a little crush?" said a familiar voice.

Frank's face went red as he turned around and saw Nia behind him. "Nia, what are you doing up?"

"Early riser. Always have been." Nia glanced over at Fan. "Ooh, I see how it is here. I wonder what Mythra would think…"

"N-no… you've got the wrong idea," Frank stuttered. "It's just…"

"Just what?"

"It's just, she looked sad, is all."

"Oh, good morning, you two." Frank nearly jumped as Fan la Norne was now right behind him. "There's still some time before your audience."

Frank quickly collected himself and said, "Oh it's no problem. I tend to get up early anyway."

"Ah, I see."

Frank then turned his attention to the mural. "This mural is very impressive. It looks impossibly old, yet it's not affected by time at all."

"It depicts the creation of Alrest," Fan said. "They say this was painted long ago, when the nation of Indol was still new."

"I noticed you staring at it," Frank commented. "Why?"

"…They're missing."

"What's missing?"

"My memories. I know that I must have been around since this mural was first painted, or even earlier, but… I don't remember that time at all."

"Well you are a Blade," Nia reasoned.

"I don't know who I was, or what I did. And I'd really like to." The Aegis Driver noticed the sorrow in her eyes.

"Mythra and Jin have been around for a long time," Frank offered. "I'm sure they might know something about you."

Fan perked up. "Mythra did call me 'Haze' the other day," she said. "Is it possible that she knew me somewhere before? Sometime in the past?"

"Do you want to ask her later?" Frank asked.

"Could I?" Fan grabbed the Aegis Driver's right hand. "Thank you very much."

Frank nearly jumped from the sudden touch. "T-there's no need to thank me. You helped us too!"

Nia giggled as Fan let go. "Look at you getting all jumpy. I'll tell Mythra, I swear."

That made Frank's face go red with embarrassment. "What? I already told you. It's not like that!"

"Not like what?" The trio turned and found Jin right beside them.

"Nothing important!" Frank said quickly. "Anyway, where were you, Jin? You were gone when I woke up."

"I felt a little restless, so I went out for a quick walk. What were you guys talking about?"

Meanwhile, Mythra had woken up and was watching the quartet talking from her window. She seemed a little tense.

"Hey, relax," Brighid said as she approached the Aegis. "You'll give yourself wrinkles. A Driver and Blade are one in body and soul. You first told me that a long time ago, five hundred years to be exact."

"I do remember telling you that," Mythra said. "But how do you remember, unless…"

The Fire Blade nodded. "Yes, I have regained most of my memories from five hundred years ago, although it was mostly thanks to this." Brighid brought out her journal and handed it to Mythra. "This contains all my experiences from my previous lives, even leading up to me being sealed away. As you know, when we Blades return to our Core Crystals, our minds are wiped clean of all memories. Though a Blade's life is eternal… our effective lifespan as individuals are shorter than a human's. Aegaeon told me that a lot of Blades write down their memories in journals too, like me, however it is often futile. After all, a Core Crystal cannot protect a diary. Usually, the volume is lost to us, along with our memories.

"I am fortunate amongst Blades, since I am an imperial treasure and recorded in official chronicles. Even though I was sealed away, all my journals were kept safe and preserved."

"Uh, Brighid," Mythra said slowly.

"I don't know where your true intentions lie. I can only make an educated guess. But Frank… he is your Driver. If you truly trust him, I would advise you to tell him everything."

Mythra lowered her head in shame.

Brighid then took back her journal. "If you can't do that even for him… then you shouldn't be his Blade at all. I know that you care deeply for him, which makes it even more important that you tell him. I know what it's like to be afraid of rejection. I really do. But… if you don't tell him now, you're just storing up pain for later, not making it easier."

_Looks like Brighid's got you cornered, _Pyra said.

_You're not helping, either!? _Mythra sighed in defeat. "The way you say that, it's almost like you can see right through me."

Brighid gave the Aegis a light smile. "Well, we go back a long way as you recall. And we're both Blades, after all."

The two Blades looked out the window and saw Frank conversing with Jin, Nia, and Fan.

**Later**

Fan la Norne escorted Frank and his friends to the audience chamber, where they found Praetor Amalthus along with six guards. Despite being over five hundred years old, the praetor looked young. He wore a fancy white robe with gold highlights and a bishop hat. The Praetor noticed Jin in the back, and for a brief moment, looked surprised, before collecting himself.

"So you're Frank," Amalthus said. "I've heard much."

"Hi," Frank replied nervously. "Are you the, uh, Praetor?"

"Indeed, I am Amalthus. I understand your confusion. You probably expected someone older."

"We heard you were Cole… I mean Minoth's Driver… uh, Your Eminence! Sorry, I'm not used to this."

Amalthus chuckled in amusement. "Relax, Frank. There's no need for formalities. I am a mere representative of the Praetorium. The name 'Praetor' is simply a… decoration, if you will. In any case, we are same, you and I. Aegis Drivers. I consider us equals."

Frank scratched his head nervously. "I feel better now you've put it that way… Amalthus."

Amalthus then turned his gaze to Mythra. "I see you haven't changed much, Mythra. It's good to see you again."

Mythra folded her arms and huffed. "Whatever. It's not like I care."

Frank then remembered the dagger and brought it out. The Indoline guards readied their weapons, but Amalthus signaled them to stand down. "We got this from Minoth. He said it belonged to you."

"Ah… Minoth… That brings back memories." Amalthus then took the dagger from Frank and pocketed it in his robe.

"We're looking for a way to Elysium," Frank explained. "Minoth said that you knew the way. Going to Elysium might be the only way to save Alrest. I mean, we won't know for sure what we can do until we get there. But if the stories are true, then it's a place we can all live in safety."

"Long ago… too long ago, I used to think the same as you," Amalthus said. For the briefest of moments, Frank felt Malos's presence around the Praetor. "Indeed, it led me to climb the World Tree. However, I did not find Elysium, or the Architect. I believe it was because I was unworthy."

'_What the?_' Frank thought.

"Frank, I know your desire all too well. I shall help you on your quest."

"Really? Thank you."

"No need for thanks," Amalthus said. "This may be my destiny. The reason I've lived for all these years. But first, I would be honored if I had a few words with Mythra. I'd like to… reminisce a little."

**Later**

Frank and the others were in the Praetorium courtyard as they waited for Mythra, who was alone with Amalthus.

"So old man Cole really did know the Praetor. Who'd have thought?" Nia noticed that the Aegis Driver seemed very tense for some reason. "Okay, what's got you all ruffled up?"

"It's nothing. I'm just worried about Mythra."

"Oh please, she's the Aegis! What's the Praetor gonna do, eat her? You're worrying over nothing. Besides, Mythra can take care of herself."

"I know that!" Frank retorted. "It's just… I felt something weird back there."

"What was it?" Jin asked in concern.

"It was only for a moment, but it almost felt like we were talking to Malos. The other Aegis."

"I think you're just imagining things, Frank," Sonum said. "You know he's Malos's Driver, and it's messing with your head."

"They didn't seem alike to me," Poppi added.

"Me neither," Kasandra said.

"I know, like I said… it was only for a moment," Frank reminded. "Just one moment where I couldn't tell whether we were talking to the Praetor or Malos. Sorry, I'm not explaining it very well."

"There are Blades who are influenced a lot by their Drivers during resonance," Azurda explained. "Their appearance, their personality, that's probably all it is."

"Perhaps it was due to your bond with Mythra," Dromarch theorized. "That could have heightened your perception of such things."

**Meanwhile**

Amalthus led Mythra to the mural, where they could talk alone.

"It was painted fifteen hundred years ago," Amalthus said. "Even through exposure to the elements, it has never needed repairs. Always pristine as the day it was made. The technique is long forgotten. I often wonder if we are growing as a people or in fact, regressing. What do you think, Mythra?"

"Well I'm just amazed how little you've changed," Mythra said. "Has no one ever wondered about that?"

"I am Indoline, and the Driver of an Aegis. It keeps me young."

Mythra folded her arms, clearly not believing him. "If you say so. Why do this now, though? I'm sure you were aware of my return for months now. And you've never let anyone go to the World Tree before, have you?"

"To answer your first question, Mythra, yes, I was aware of your return to Alrest for a long time now. It certainly didn't help you when the events that transpired on the elusive Temporal Island were revealed to the public."

"What all do you know?" Mythra pressed further, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I know about the existence of the Dark Swordsman, Marth, and that his power rivals your own, as well as the fact that he is a counterpart of your Driver, Frank," Amalthus revealed. "You can imagine the amount of trouble that kind of information could cause in the wrong hands. Even though most of the people don't know of Marth, every nation's leader does. There are even some power-hungry nobles looking for ways to bring him back to Alrest. No doubt they seek to abuse his power for their own ends."

Mythra simply scoffed at the thought. "Yeah, right. Marth'll eat them alive if they tried to do that. He can be pretty terrifying when he wants to be."

"I believe you. I've heard the stories," Amalthus said. "As for your second question, Mythra, times change. So do people."

"That's not an answer!" the Aegis retorted.

"I would like to believe there is one who can reach the Architect and save this dying world. Is that really so strange?"

"And Frank is the one?"

Amalthus looked at the Aegis curiously. "Would you have resonated with him if he didn't hold such potential? You also seem very protective of him, as he is with you."

"Okay, now you've crossed a line!" Mythra scolded venomously. "Leave my personal life out of this!"

"My apologies. I was simply stating the facts. Regardless, I believe you and Frank are the key to saving this world."

**Later**

Mythra met back up with Frank and the others. She did not look pleased one bit.

"What happened?" Frank asked nervously.

"None of your business!" Mythra snapped.

Frank reeled back in surprise. "Geez, no need to get angry at me. I was just asking a question."

Mythra took a deep breath and calmed down. "Sorry. Amalthus knows what happened on Temporal Island, and about Marth."

"What? How?" Ethan questioned.

Meg had a guilty look on her face. "I… may have told Emporer Niall about what we did at Temporal Island. I'm his second-in-command, so I can't exactly lie to him on where I've been. We did go public with the information, barring Marth and his friends, as well as our temporary alliance with Torna, but somehow that must've been leaked out to the other nations."

"It was from Amalthus that we learned about what happened there," Jason said. "He even told us about Marth. I gotta admit, I'd love to meet him. He sounds like a cool guy."

"What else did you talk about?" Brighid asked. "I can't imagine that was all the Praetor wanted to discuss."

"Just that he believes that Frank is the one who can save the world and making the mistake of mentioning my personal life. Amalthus is lucky that I had the restraint to not have Siren blow him to kingdom come!"

"Yeah, right, Mythra. Most of the time, you _lack_ restraint," Jin chided. "Besides, you blowing up the Praetor would not have looked good for us. Especially for you and Frank."

"Speaking of Amalthus," Frank said. "There was a moment when he looked surprised to see you, Jin. Do you have any idea why?"

The Paragon of Torna folded his arms. "I noticed that too. Unfortunately, I don't know. My memory is still a little hazy, especially around the time of my sealing."

Jason shrugged. "It's probably nothing." The Tantalese prince noticed the sky darkening. "It's getting late. We should go back to our rooms and get some rest."

The others agreed, and all went to their rooms.

**Meanwhile on Temperantia**

Zeke had arrived at the Ardainian digsite. He used his inhuman speed to quickly kill a soldier that was patrolling. The Tornan leader then climbed up the stairs and commandeered one of the Titan weapons.

"I'm surprised this is still intact," Zeke said. "The pinnacle of Flesh Eater technology. Humans are such tenacious creatures."

Suddenly an image of a blonde-haired woman appeared in his thoughts. She was gravely wounded and was crying.

"I'm so sorry," she had said with grief.

Zeke unconsciously tightened his grip on the Titan controls as he activated the weapon, before piloting it out of the digsite.

**To be continued**


	23. Chapter 23: Behind The Mask

**Chapter 23- Behind the Mask**

**Back in Indol**

Brighid was approached by an Ardainian soldier outside her room, where he told her something.

"I see," the Fire Blade said. "Very well." She entered the room and approached Meg, who was looking out the window.

"It appears that Senator Roderich paid a visit to the Praetorium last night, off the record," Brighid told her Driver.

The Flamebringer faced her Blade, looking surprised. "What? I wasn't informed of this by His Majesty. Why is Roderich here? I doubt he's here to pay his respects."

"Do you think it has something to do with the excavation on Temperantia?"

Meg paused to think. "Hmm. The issue His Majesty mentioned. If that is the case, then Roderich must be making covert deals with the Praetorium. Curse that man!"

**Temperantia**

Zeke piloted the Titan weapon towards the ceasefire point between Uraya and Mor Ardain. The Urayan army that was there immediately opened fire, but none of their weapons could even scratch the Titan weapon. Zeke quickly returned fire, destroying half of the Urayan airships with ease.

**Indol**

Frank and the others were laying in bed when suddenly an Indoline soldier hurried into the room.

"Sincere apologies, everyone," he said sincerely. "But I come with an urgent request. Please go to the Audience Chamber now!"

Frank, Mythra and the others quickly got up and hurried to the Audience Chamber, where they found the Praetor and Fan la Norne waiting for them.

"What's going on, Your Eminence," Mika asked. "Why the late summon?"

"I apologize for waking you all at this late hour, but I have just been informed about a dire situation," Amalthus answered. "As you know, Temperantia is the demilitarized zone between Mor Ardain and Uraya. We've received word of fighting in the area. Mor Ardain are in possession of a Judicium Titan weapon and are using it against the Urayans. They are advancing to the Urayan garrison as we speak."

"Impossible!" Meg refuted.

"Well, the two countries' Titans are at their closest right now…" the Praetor reasoned.

"So you're saying we were waiting for a chance to strike?!" the Flamebringer said angerly. "You're wrong! Our people would never go to war without Our Majesty's will!"

"At any rate, we must investigate," Brighid suggested.

Meg calmed herself and nodded. "Yes… you're right. Praetor, I beg your leave. We need to find out what's going on."

"Thank you," the Praetor said. Meg and Brighid then hurried out of the Audience Chamber. When they were gone, Amalthus added, "Frank, might I ask that you and your friends assist Special Inquisitor Margaret in her investigation?"

"Of course," Frank replied. "This issue involves me just as much as my sister. We'd be happy to help, right Mythra?" He turned his eyes to the Aegis.

Mythra folded her arms and sighed. "I guess we could lend a hand. Let's go."

Frank and his friends then hurried after Meg and Brighid. Fan's eyes filled with worry as she watched them leave.

**Later**

Meg and Brighid found Senator Roderich talking with two Ardainian soldiers in a room near the Audience Chamber.

"Who?! Who is responsible for this?!" the senator shouted. "Preparations are still ongoing. If we attack now, we could…"

"Senator Roderich!" Meg shouted as she and Brighid made themselves known.

Roderich instantly flinched with fear. "Special Inquisitor? W-what are you doing here?"

"That isn't your concern. The Emporer ordered that the dig be halted. He was very specific, Senator. If you have restarted it, then you have violated His Majesty's will."

"The Emporer doesn't understand Mor Ardain's urgent lack of resources," Roderich defended. "This is for the Empire."

Meg remained unconvinced. "Your patriotism is touching, but that doesn't explain why you're waging war with Uraya!"

"It wasn't me. I didn't give the order. Even I would never dare to declare war without His Majesty's approval."

"So then who…" Meg started to say.

"Meg!" Frank and the others then entered the room.

"Who… who are these people?" Roderich questioned. "Bursting in here?"

"This is Frank. He is my older brother and the Driver of the Aegis," Meg said formally. "You are to afford him the same respect as me."

Roderich gasped in shock. "This is your brother? I would have thought he'd be older."

Frank simply sighed. "I get that a lot. Anyway, Meg, is it true that Mor Ardain is attacking Uraya?"

Meg lowered her head in shame. "Yes, as much as I hate to admit it."

"Tell us what's going on."

The Special Inquisitor told her friends about the Judicium excavation on Temperantia and the Titan weapons they found.

"Tricky indeed," Azurda said. "If this escalates into all-out war…"

"The timing is all wrong," Roderich added. "We can't win this fight, not now…"

"Sounds to me like you _were_ planning to attack sooner or later," Jin remarked.

"You sly rat!" Jason said bitterly.

"Guys! Save the accusations for later," Frank said with authority.

"But the Empire never wanted really wanted a war, did it?" Mythra interjected.

Roderich noticed the Core Crystal on Mythra' chest. "That Core Crystal! Don't tell me you're the…"

"Answer me!" Mythra exclaimed.

The senator reluctantly nodded. "Y-you're right."

Frank looked at his Blade curiously. "Mythra, what are you thinking?"

The Aegis folded her arms. "Who would benefit from a war between Mor Ardain and Uraya?"

Frank paused to think before realizing. "Zeke and Torna!"

"Them again?!" Nia exclaimed.

"It is possible," Dromarch mused.

"But how?" Azurda said.

"It could just be a coincidence," Ethan reasoned, though even he himself didn't believe it.

"Special Inquisitor, please, you must put a stop to this!" Roderich begged.

"It's a bit late for that, don't you think?" Meg remarked. "But I'm not going to sit back and watch. Brighid!"

"Right." The duo turned to leave.

"Meg, wait," Frank said. "Let us come too!"

"This is an imperial matter, Brother. I cannot ask for your aid."

"Did you forget that _I'm_ part of the imperial line too? This is as much my problem as it is yours."

Mythra sighed in contempt. "I knew you were gonna go there."

Jason chuckled in amusement. "I'd let him come if I were you, Meg. You know as well as I just how stubborn Frank can be."

"A trait he shares with Mythra, no less," Sonum mused.

"Hey!" Frank and Mythra shouted in protest.

Meg sighed in defeat. "Very well. You all may come and help."

"Thanks," Frank said. "You won't regret this."

"Count on it," Mythra added.

"Just try not to destroy the place while we're there."

Frank just slouched while Mythra scoffed. "Oh, come on!" they exclaimed in sync. The others just chuckled in amusement.

Suddenly they were joined by Fan la Norne. "Allow me to accomanpy you," she said.

"Haze," Jin muttered under his breath.

"What's happening in Temperantia right now, it's all because of a weaponized Titan, correct?" Fan said. "My restricting power not only works on Blades, but also on Titans."

"Seriously?" Jason questioned. "Well I can't deny that your powers would be useful in this scenario, Lady Fan."

"That's not the only reason I wish to come," Fan added. "I… have the strangest feeling that I have to be there."

Frank noticed the conflicted looks on both Mythra and Jin's faces. Regardless, he chose to allow Fan la Norne to accompany them. They all then hurried to the docks to board a ship to reach Temperantia. Jason, Mika, Pandoria and Kasandra also tagged along.

"So why are you four coming?" Nia questioned.

"Because we're friends, of course, and it sounds like fun," Mika said.

"That and all of us have a history with Torna," Jason added. "And anything that involves Torna is very personal for me." His tone sounded bitter as he said the last sentence.

"Why's that?" Ethan asked.

"I'll tell you later, when we have the time. Right now, we need to leave."

The group boarded the Indoline ship and flew to Temperantia. When they were near the Titan, an Ardainian soldier approached them with a report.

"Lady Margaret, I have news from the front," the soldier said. "Our weapon has crossed the central border! It's advancing at about forty-titanpeds per hour!"

"Blast," Meg cursed. "I want to get in front of it. Is there a suitable place to dock?"

"There's a bay fairly close by. If we dock there, you should be able to get to the cliffs above it."

"Understood. Go."

The soldier left to fulfill his orders. Soon they arrived at the landing zone, prompting the Drivers and Blades to disembark. The whole area was barren and rocky. There was hardly any plant life at all.

"Which way do we go?" Nia questioned.

Sounds of fighting could be heard in the distance, straight ahead.

"I guess that way," Jason said nonchalantly.

The group followed the sounds until they reached the edge of a cliff, overlooking an enormous clearing. Everyone was horrified at the sight. Urayan war vessels laid on the ground, broken and in flames. Hundreds of dead bodies laid scattered on the ground.

"How awful," Brighid said.

"Hmm… They didn't stand a chance," Jin remarked.

Frank noticed the Judicium Titan weapon in the distance, moving slowly across the land. "Guys! Look!"

The others turned and saw the Titan aiming its weapons at them.

"Look out!?" Mika shouted.

The Titan fired dozens of laser beams at the group, covering the cliffside in smoke. When the smoke cleared, Frank asked, "Is everyone alright?"

"I think so," Jason said.

The Titan's weapons began charging up.

"It's about to attack again!" Mythra shouted in warning.

Surprisingly, the Titan fired at the fleeing Urayan soldiers, decimating the land below.

"We have to stop it!" Frank said.

"Okay, but how do we do that?" Sonum asked.

"On its back, there's an Ardainian drive mechanism," Meg explained. "If we can somehow sever the cables connecting it to each leg, its energy supply will be cut off. It'll stop."

"Lady Mythra," Fan said. "I presume you'll be able to destroy them with your Aegis powers?"

"That solution may sound feasible, as long as you don't mind reducing the whole area to ash," Meg revealed.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Mika asked in fear.

"I read instruction manuals. It's my job to know these things. The weapon is powered by vaporized Titan bodily fluids. The gas it makes is completely unstable. The slightest shock will cause a massive explosion, destroying everything caught in it within a twenty-mile radius. There was an accident that occurred here three months ago because we didn't see just how unstable it was."

"If we had attacked it without realizing that," Mythra realized, "then we would have not only killed the Urayans, but us as well."

Frank stomped his foot in frustration. "Argh, damn it!"

"Why would you make a weapon that dangerous?" Jin questioned intently.

"As long as we got the weapon inside enemy territory, destroying the weapon would destroy them too," Meg explained. "That was the justification given for it."

"That's so cold it's almost impressive," Jason commented.

"That's exactly why the Emporer called a halt to the excavation after the accident," Brighid defended.

"Can't we just go after the people on board?" Nia questioned. "Without a pilot, that weapon can't do anything."

"The control center is protected by ten layers of armor," Meg replied. "The chances of it being breached or destroyed are very low."

Frank groaned in annoyance. "You just had to make it difficult for us, didn't you?" he asked sarcastically.

"I wasn't in charge of the excavation, nor could I have known this would happen, _Brother_!"

The two siblings then began to bicker, with Mythra and Brighid siding with their Drivers.

"You know, it's times like these that I'm reminded they're siblings," Sonum said.

"Indeed," Dromarch agreed.

"Guys!" Ethan shouted, getting everyone's attention. "This isn't the time to be arguing! We have to stop that thing, now!"

"We know, but how?!" Nia scolded.

"Well, the armor is limited," Meg revealed. "It doesn't entirely cover the energy cables, especially on the Titan's back. Those are what sends power to the weapons' systems. If we can sever them…"

"We can stop the weapon without destroying it," Frank finished. "But how would we get on the Titan's back?"

Poppi then pointed in the distance where the Titan was moving. "I see a point where the cliff juts out. If we can jump off there at the right time, then we should be able to get on the Titan's back."

"But if we mistime it by just a second, we'll fall straight to the bottom of the cliff," Jin mentioned. "Not to mention that we'll have to avoid all of its attacks as we go across."

"We won't have to worry about that," Fan said. "When we reach the cliff, I can use my powers to halt the Titan's advance. That should allow us to reach it's back without much risk."

"Fan, you…" Frank said before nodding. "Alright. Just be careful."

"Don't worry. I will."

"Then let's go!"

The group hurried to the cliff, all while avoiding monsters and the Titan's attacks. One attack nearly hit Mika, but Jin protected him with a wall of ice.

"Thanks," Mika said.

"Just keep moving."

After a few minutes of running, the group had arrived at the cliff. Unfortunately, the Titan kept them back with its missiles, halting their advance.

"Crap," Frank said. "We can't get any closer!"

"Allow me!" Fan charged forward, towards the Titan.

"Fan, wait!"

Mythra simply smirked as she kept her Driver from running after the Wind Blade. "Don't worry. She'll be fine. Trust me."

Fan la Norne reached the edge of the cliff and created a large energy field, freezing the Titan in place.

"That's our cue!" Jin exclaimed. "Let's move!"

The group charged and jumped off the cliff, landing on the Titan's back, before drawing their weapons. Fan joined them soon after. Frank then noticed a couple large cables exposed a few feet away from them.

"Those are what we need to cut," the Aegis Driver said.

Suddenly a large machine emerged from the Titan's back, before opening and revealing an arsenal of weapons, all aimed at the party.

"You've got to be kidding me," Jason said. "An independent defense mechanism."

Even Meg was surprised. "Curses. Ardainian technology. My apologies."

"Why would you make something like that?!" Jason shouted in annoyance.

"Fight now, bitch later!" Nia said as they prepared for battle.

Everyone charged at the weapon, while Fan focused her efforts on keeping the Titan restricted. The group found that not only was the machine very sturdy, but also very powerful. A single blast nearly knocked Ethan and Mika off, but Poppi and Roc (who Frank had summoned) quickly caught them and brought them back into the fight.

It didn't help that Mythra, arguably their strongest Blade aside from Jin and Brighid, was limited on what she could do without risking the Titan blowing up. Every attack they landed on the machine was quickly repaired, preventing them from causing any significant damage.

"This isn't working!" Jin exclaimed as he dodged multiple projectiles fired from the machine.

Ethan then noticed that the cables were connected to the machine they were fighting.

"Guys, I have an idea!" Ethan said. "One of us needs to cut those cables, while the others distract it. If we do that, then the machine will run out of power and stop."

Kasandra nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan. Who should be the one to cut the cables?"

Frank already knew who was perfect for the job. "Jin! Jason! Pandoria! You three will cut the cables. The rest of us will keep it occupied."

"Why us?" Pandoria asked.

Jason quickly deduced the reason. "Because we're the fastest ones here," he explained. "If anyone has a chance of slipping past this thing, it's us."

"Then let's do it," Jin said.

Jin, Jason, and Pandoria charged at the cables. The machine at first fired at the trio, but their high speed allowed them to evade its attacks. Meg, Ethan, and Mika quickly got the machine's attention and began firing its artillery at them and their Blades. The others kept attacking from the sides, even though they were barely doing any damage. Soon Jin, Jason and Pandoria reached the cables.

"Together?" Jason asked.

"Together," the Paragon of Torna confirmed.

The two swordsmen readied their weapons and prepared to unleash an Art.

"Dynamic Spark Sword!" Jason shouted as blue lightning encased his blade before slashing three times at the cables.

"Starslash!" Jin cried out. The Ice Blade moved at high speed before delivering three deadly slashes on the cables with his nodachi.

Both attacks succeeded in severing the cables, causing the machine to shut down. The Titan also stopped moving.

"Yes! We did it!" Mika cheered. "It stopped."

"Never had a doubt," Sonum said with a smile.

"It's you," said a familiar voice. "I thought it might be."

Everyone looked up and saw none other than Zeke, his sword drawn, looking down on them.

"Zeke!" Frank exclaimed in recognition.

"I knew Torna was behind this!" Mythra added, her eyes glaring at the masked swordsman.

Fan eyed the masked swordsman curiously. "So, this is Zeke, the leader of Torna," she said. "I am Fan la Norne. As envoy of Praetor Amalthus, I am bringing you into custody."

Zeke chuckled in amusement. "How ironic that you say his name with that face… Oblivious to everything… even your own past."

The Wind Blade gasped in shock. "What?! Do you know something about me?"

Zeke pointed his sword at Mythra. "And you, Aegis!" he accused. "Don't you dare stand there, acting like you're not involved!"

"Just who are you behind that mask anyway?" Jin demanded. "I've seen the way you fight back on Temporal Island. Your fighting style is very similar to Frank's, but different. Are you even human?"

"I noticed that too," Mythra added. "You have a very interesting ether signature. It's similar to a human's, yet different as well. Almost like a Blade."

Zeke didn't answer and instead jumped down and landed in front of the Drivers. "Malos did warn me about how clever you are, Aegis."

Mythra smirked. "Sorry, but that's just how I am. Speaking of Malos, why are you on his side? Don't you know that he tried to destroy the world five hundred years ago? You're different from Malos because of your honor, so why do you fight by his side?"

"I'm on his side because I realized that Malos had the right of it," Zeke answered plainly. "After Selena died, I was a broken mess. But then Malos found me and showed me my new place in this world."

Both Frank and Meg gasped in shock. "Selena?" Frank questioned.

"Please, no," Meg begged, her eyes widened. "Is that you, Father?"

"Father?!" most of the other Drivers exclaimed.

Zeke smirked. "It's been a while, Frank, Meg," he said. "It was only eight years ago when your mother and I sent you to Alrest City for your own safety. How unfortunate that fate has made us enemies." He then removed his mask. Everyone was shocked that it really was none other than Zane Ladair, Frank and Meg's father, but something was different from him. He had a diamond-shaped red Core Crystal on his forehead.

"A Core Crystal?!" Frank exclaimed in disbelief.

"That color… It's like… blood," Mythra said in disgust.

"Is he a Blade too?!" Sonum questioned.

"No, that's impossible," Meg reasoned, though she was stunned as well. "He can't be a Blade. That Core Crystal wasn't there before. He must have gotten it implanted in him after he left me and Frank."

"Be careful, everyone!" Brighid warned. "That Crystal isn't normal!"

"If he has a Core Crystal, then he has the strengths of a Blade," Fan said. "But that also means he has their weaknesses too. My power allows me to restrict a Blade's every action. You cannot avoid its clutch, Zeke."

Zeke looked unfazed by the threat. "Go ahead and try." He then readied himself for battle.

The Drivers all looked to Frank for orders, but the Aegis Driver seemed conflicted. It was clear he wasn't liking the idea of having to fight his own father. Meg was having similar thoughts as well.

"Frank, what should we do?" Mika questioned nervously.

Frank gritted his teeth in frustration as he forced himself to snap out of his thoughts. "Fan, use your powers to stop Zeke's movements. Everyone else, attack with all your might!"

"Sounds like a plan," Ethan said.

"Let's do this," Nia added.

Fan la Norne used her powers to create an energy field around them and the Torna leader, prompting the Drivers to attack. Surprisingly, Zeke was still able to move, even with Fan's powers being in effect. His blinding speed allowed him to block and counter everyone's attacks. The only ones who were barely able to match his speed were Jin, Jason, and to some degree, Frank and Mythra.

Zeke was locking swords with his son, when he noticed the Paragon of Torna charging at him from the side. Zeke quickly forced Frank back, before meeting Jin head-on.

"I'm surprised that you went to Indol of your own free will," Zeke commented as he locked swords with the Paragon of Torna. "Especially with what happened five hundred years ago."

Jin gasped in surprise. "What are you talking about?" the Ice Blade questioned fiercely.

"Oh, right. You probably don't remember since you've been asleep since for so long. No matter. It's not like you're leaving here alive anyway." Zeke knocked Jin's sword back before slashing the Blade across the chest, leaving a deep wound behind. The Ice Blade then fell to his knees as he struggled to breathe.

"Jin!" Frank shouted in worry.

Nia hurried to heal her fallen comrade, while Frank and Mythra engaged Zeke. There was hesitation in the Aegis Driver's attacks, something that both Mythra and Zeke noticed.

"What's the matter? Afraid to fight your own father?" Zeke remarked as they clashed swords. "A shame I don't share the same sentiment."

Zeke used his high speed to land several cuts on Frank. Even though he was using Mythra's Foresight, Frank was unable to block all of Zeke's attacks. Due to their link, Mythra was also injured from the Torna leader's blows. Thankfully, before Zeke could cause any more damage, Meg and Ethan charged at him from behind and attacked.

"How is he…?" Frank muttered as he was on one knee.

"You need to focus, Frank," Mythra said as she helped her Driver up. "I know that you're hesitant to be fighting your father, but you've got to push past it. He's not the kind of opponent to fight half-heartedly."

Jin and Nia quickly joined the duo, the former of which was now fully healed.

"What I don't understand is why Fan la Norne's power isn't working on him," Nia said. "If he's a Blade, then it should stop him from moving."

"That's because he isn't a Blade," Jin explained. "He's a human with a Core Crystal implanted in him. A Blade Eater, the opposite of a Flesh Eater. His human side is preventing Ha… I mean Fan's powers from affecting him."

"Even so," Frank said. "We have to beat him."

"I don't think so," Zeke replied coldly. He then disappeared in a flash. The group quickly turned around and saw the Torna leader right in front of Fan. Before the Wind Blade could react, Zeke ran his sword through her Core Crystal.

"Haze!" Jin exclaimed in worry.

"No!" Frank shouted.

Everyone else was too stunned to speak. The Paragon of Torna hurried to the injured Blade, with Zeke not doing anything to stop him.

"You are a slave no longer," Zeke said. "You're free now."

Fan dropped her staff, before falling limply into Jin's arms after Zeke removed his sword from her chest. Her Core Crystal was cracked and turned dull, but for some strange reason, Fan did not return to her core. Zeke then used his speed to appear in front of the Drivers, his back facing them.

"No!" Jin said desperately, tears leaking from his eyes. "Not you too, Haze! You just can't die!"

Surprisingly, Fan gave the Ice Blade a weak smile and brought her hand to his right cheek, before succumbing to death.

"No… No," Frank repeated before glaring at his father with rage. "Zeke! How could you do this?! What good does this do you?!"

"Why, you ask…?" Zeke turned to face the group. "Then let me ask you this, _son_. Blades are granted phenomenal power from our creator, the Architect, yet they are doomed to never remember. Why?!"

"What?" Frank's anger was replaced with confusion.

"The accumulation of memories is what allows mankind, no, all life to grow," Zeke explained. "Change. Evolve. Yet Blades are denied this. When they return to their cores, they lose all their memories. Their growth snatched away from them forever."

"People aren't so different, Father," Meg defended.

"Man's life too has an end, yes. However, though each individual life is fleeting, you pass on your memories to others, allowing them to grow, as a species, as a culture. Why does Indol control all the Core Crystals? Simple, by controlling the birth of every Blade in Alrest, they enslave their entire kind. How is that fair? Blades have no culture because Indol decrees it! That's what humans do! And I refuse to a part of such a pathetic species any longer!"

"Father," Frank said slowly.

"Why are humans the masters, and Blades the slaves?" Zeke asked. "It is Blades that embody the very nature of this world!"

"Blades… embody this world?" Frank muttered. "What does that even mean?"

"So, you tried to become one?" Jin questioned as he glared at the Blade Eater while holding Haze in his arms. "Give up your humanity and become a Blade?"

Zeke nodded. "Indeed. When I chose to team up with Malos, he implanted a Core Crystal in my body, granting me untold power. Though I can never fully become a Blade, being a Blade Eater is far better than being a human. None of you have seen the horrors I've seen during the Shadow War. Humans betraying each other, abusing their power on others, threatening innocent lives. If you had seen that state of humanity, you'd understand."

The Torna leader readied his sword and slowly approached the Drivers. "Now that you've taken this path, there can be no going back! I'm afraid your journey ends here!"

Frank then noticed a strange black mist slowly surround them. Suddenly Zeke cried out in pain as he fell to his knees, his left hand clutching his forehead as a dark aura surrounded his body. The mist quickly disappeared as well.

"Nghh… Why now?" Zeke muttered as he struggled to stand up.

"Now's our chance!" Jason exclaimed. "Hit him while he's down!"

The group prepared to charge at the downed Blade Eater, when suddenly a red light intercepted them.

"Now what?" Mythra asked in frustration.

The light died down, revealing none other than Akhos, who had picked up Zeke's mask and was carrying a strange white and gold bow. The bow had a blue energy-like bowstring and a blue-and-red crystal in the center.

"Malos sent me," Akhos explained as he hurried and helped his leader to his feet. "Time to make our exit. Ready?"

"Ugh…" was all Zeke could say as he held his forehead in pain and trying to suppress his aura, which visually weakened slightly.

"Who said you're going anywhere?" Mika exclaimed as he readied his hammer.

Akhos chuckled in amusement. "You really don't understand, do you? You really think this is over?"

"What?"

Suddenly the Titan began shaking as the machine the Drivers had disabled was activated again.

"How?!" Mika shouted in frustration. "We cut the bloody cables!"

"True," Akhos replied. "But there's still some energy deep inside its core. Almost like a Blade weapon. You can thank your old professor for reminding me of _that_ trick. Well then, you seem busy, so I'll leave you to it. Bye!"

Akhos then fled the scene, carrying his leader away.

"Wait!" Frank shouted. He and Mythra tried to go after them, but the machine stopped them in their tracks.

"I don't think this thing will let us pass, guys," Ethan said.

"Then we have to destroy it," Poppi replied.

Frank turned and saw Jin still by Haze's corpse. "Jin! We could really use your help right now!"

The Paragon of Torna faced his Driver and nodded. Jin then set Haze gently on the ground before joining the others. The group used the same strategy as before, having Meg, Ethan, and Mika hold the machine's attention while the others flanked it. This time, however, their attacks were actually doing damage against the weapon, most likely because of its limited power supply. Frank juggled between Jin and Mythra, attacking with both light and ice. Jason and Pandoria unleashed Sonic Thunderslash, leaving deep gashes in the machine. Sonum, Dromarch and Nia worked in sync to unleash a devastating torrent of water, which caused some of the machine's circuits to short circuit. Ethan and Poppi quickly followed with Quantum Judgement. The machine eventually fell to a Supernova from Mythra and a Second Sun from Brighid.

With the danger passed, the group sheathed their weapons. Frank went over and knelt beside Haze's body.

"I don't get it," Frank said, grief etched into his voice. "I… I'm meant to be a Driver now. I've got all my friends beside me again. But… I couldn't do anything." He gently picked up Fan in his arms. He looked ready to burst with tears. "Zeke… no Father… Why? Why would you do such awful things? I'm just too weak, too weak to stop you. I'll never be able to reach Marth's level at this rate. If he was here, Haze wouldn't have died!"

"Frank…" Meg was about to go comfort her brother but was stopped by Brighid. The Special Inquisitor then noticed both Mythra and Jin approach their Driver. Jin took Haze's corpse from Frank while Mythra knelt beside him and pulled her Driver into a hug. The Aegis Driver couldn't take it any longer and wept.

'_This is all my fault,_' Mythra thought to herself as she comforted her grieving Driver. '_If Frank had never met me… he wouldn't have to go through all this pain. I never should've woken up._'

They were like this for a few moments until Nia noticed something in the distance. "What… is that?" the Gormotti questioned.

Everyone turned and saw an Urayan air fleet and soldiers in the distance. Frank, who had calmed down, and Mythra separated and rose to their feet, as did Jin, though he was still carrying Haze in his arms.

"It's the Urayan army!" Poppi exclaimed.

"What?!" Pandoria shouted.

"No!" Meg cried out. She and the others turned around and saw an Ardainian air fleet and its army approaching from the other side. "Damn it! Who gave that damn order?!"

"At this rate, I don't think there's any stopping them," Brighid said.

"What do you mean?" Sonum asked in confusion.

"The Urayans think that Mor Ardain attacked them illegally," Azurda explained. "With no declaration of war."

Jason grunted in frustration. "This is bad. If someone doesn't explain what's really going on…"

"But there's no time for that!" Meg interrupted her boyfriend.

"So what?" Nia asked. "Do we just give up?"

The Urayans began charging their weapons.

"Heavy cannons!" Brighid warned. "That's Uraya's main weapon!"

Jin then noticed the Ardainian army doing the same.

"Mor Ardain is readying their artillery as well!" Jin exclaimed.

Frank clenched his fists tightly. "I don't care if we don't make it in time!" he declared. "We have to get to Uraya!"

"Right!" Mika agreed.

"Let's go!" Kasandra added cheerfully, despite the current situation.

"Wait!" Mythra exclaimed in warning.

Suddenly the Indol Titan appeared, getting in-between the two armies. Praetor Amalthus stood on the top balcony of the Praetorium, looking down on Temperantia.

**To be continued**


	24. Chapter 24: Tribunals and Funerals

**Chapter 24- Tribunals and Funerals**

**On the Marsanes**

Zeke was recuperating in a pod, rejuvenating him with ether. His dark aura had also faded. Malos approached him while he was still inside.

"It seems like sending Akhos was the right choice," Malos said. The pod opened, allowing Zeke to climb out. "You all right?"

Zeke nodded. "Yeah. I've been through worse. I can handle it."

"Zeke… I swear I'll make your dream a reality," Malos said. "But you've got to stop putting yourself at risk. At this rate, your Core won't be able to contain the darkness in you much longer."

"It's… alright," the Blade Eater said slowly. "There's… still time."

"Is that part of your dream, too?" Zeke didn't answer. "What are Blades, in the end?" Malos stared at his hand and formed a fist. "This hunger I feel, this thirst… Is it really my own? Or is it someone else's? Sometimes I can't really tell." Malos eyed his friend. "Tell me, Zeke… Are you really 'here'? Because I don't know where I really am."

"You're starting to sound like a human," Zeke commented.

"Oh yeah?" Malos chuckled in amusement. "I guess you would know. You used to be human, after all."

"Perhaps we aren't so different," Zeke admitted. "Humans and Blades."

**Meanwhile in Indol**

The Urayan queen and Emperor Niall, along with Aegaeon and General Luke, have arrived for a tribunal to resolve the supposed aggression between their nations.

Frank and the others watched as the two leaders went into the Audience Chamber, where there was a conference room where they would discuss diplomacy.

"Did anyone sleep well?" Jason asked.

"Not a wink," Frank admitted. "I had to get an abridged lesson on politics for the tribunal."

"Figured as much. How about we take a little walk before heading for the emergency meeting. Someone has to escort Meg there, right?"

The Special Inquisitor scoffed in annoyance. "I am perfectly capable of finding my own way…"

"Mythra's meant to be attending too, right?" Mika asked.

The Aegis nodded in confirmation. "Me and Frank, actually," she corrected. "Apparently Amalthus thinks it's a good idea for me to attend since I'm an Aegis. As for Frank, he has to attend since he's my Driver and part of Mor Ardain's imperial line."

"This is so going to end well," Frank deadpanned as he slouched.

Jin chuckled as he placed a hand on the Aegis Driver's shoulder in comfort. "You'll be fine, Frank. Just talk only when you're spoken to, and everything should be fine."

Frank gave the Ice Blade a light smile. "Thanks, Jin."

The group then decided to head for the conference room. Along the way, Mythra privately asked her Driver, "How are you feeling?"

Frank was surprised by her concern and answered, "Fine. I feel better now."

Mythra raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Liar. You're still thinking about Zeke and how he's your father. It's still bothering you."

Frank let out a deep breath. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"Nope," Mythra chuckled as she gently nudged his shoulder with her arm. "So don't even try."

"I just can't believe my father is the leader of Torna. When I was little, he was always so kind. I looked up to him. Heck, he was the one who taught me how to use a sword, even though it wasn't much. Why did he just leave me and Meg in Alrest City? Why didn't he come back?"

"I don't know," Mythra admitted. "But right now, you need to focus on this meeting. If we mess this up, Mor Ardain and Uraya will go to war with each other."

"That doesn't make me feel any better, Mythra."

Mythra simply shrugged. "Well, it's the truth. Besides, you'll have plenty of time to think about it afterward. Just focus on the meeting for now, okay?"

"Okay. I'll try."

The group then arrived at the entrance to the conference hall. The guards would only allow those who participating in the meeting to go inside, so Jin led the others back to the dorms. Meg and Brighid went in ahead, as they were part of Mor Ardain's representatives. Frank, Mythra and Jason waited outside until they would be called inside.

The Flamebringer sat by her cousin on one side of the table, with Luke sitting on the other. Aegaeon was standing right behind his Driver. The Urayan queen, Raqura, sat on the other side of the table, along with her advisors. Amalthus sat at the head, appearing very calm despite all the tension in the air. Niranira was also there, acting as a representative for the Argentum Trade Guild.

"My deepest thanks to you for agreeing to this ceasefire, Queen Raqura, Emperor Niall," Amalthus began.

"As I recall from the Osirian Treaty three-hundred-fifty years ago," Raqura said. "The Praetorium was to refrain from intervention in times of war. And yet here you are, intervening. But I trust you have a suitable justification, Your Eminence?"

"Naturally," the Praetor replied. "But first, to ensure impartiality in these negotiations, may I present Niranira, Acting Chairman of the Argentum Trade Guild. Furthermore, representing the Tantalese…" Jason entered the room at that time. "His Highness, the Crown Prince Jason Brounev Tantal, will also be attending."

"The crown prince?!" one of the Urayans said in disbelief. "The prodigal prince of Tantal?"

Meg chuckled in amusement at the thought of her boyfriend being a 'prodigal prince'. Jason, however, remained silent and took a seat on the same side as his girlfriend but kept his distance.

**Meanwhile outside the Praetorium**

Akhos, Mikhail, and Patroka were overlooking the city from a tall rooftop.

"What a spectacle," Mikhail said before brushing away a strand of his hair. "Seems the Praetor has as much clout around here as ever."

"Could we not just take them out here and now?" Patroka asked.

"Good point," Mikhail mused. "All the principal nations' heads are gathered here… It'd make things easy for later."

"The way to the World Tree must be opened first," Akhos interjected. "Wiping out mankind is the easy part. We could manage that ourselves."

"Even so…" Patroka started.

Akhos adjusted his glasses and folded his arms. "That isn't our only goal, remember? We must wait for the stage to be set."

"Is Zeke serious about this?"

"Yeah," Mikhail said. "I've been wondering that myself…"

"Heh. Oh, he's serious," Akhos replied. "He always is. He will annihilate mankind. And then… he will kill the Architect."

**Back to the meeting**

"Now then," Amalthus said. "It seems Mor Ardain has been accused of a unilateral breach of treaty in this matter. Emperor Niall, I open the floor to you. Is there anything you wish to say?"

"While we are still conducting investigations into the cause," Niall said. "It cannot be denied that weaponry belonging to our forces was discharged against Uraya. Regardless of any possible reason and circumstance, we are prepared to offer recompense for this grave offense."

"So you want to settle this with money?" Raqura questioned.

"We will provide _any_ compensation deemed necessary," Niall corrected.

Raqura shook her head. "Perhaps I am misunderstanding this. To my ears, it sounds almost as if you mean to imply that the blame for these offenses does not lie with Your Majesty at all!"

"We are investigating. I ask that we not draw any hasty conclusions."

"What need is there for an investigation?" Amalthus questioned. "I believe a cause has already been established. There are witnesses, two of whom are in this room. Special Inquisitor Margaret Ladair and Crown Prince Jason Tantal."

Raqura eyed the Praetor curiously. "And the cause would be?"

Amalthus explained Torna's recent actions to the Urayan Queen and the Ardainian Emperor, from the artificial Blades they bought from Ex-Chairman Bana to their involvement on Temperantia.

"Impossible!" Raqura said stubbornly. "Torna is merely a terrorist group! How could they possibly command that measure of…?"

"It's the truth!" the Thunderbolt interrupted. "I, Crown Prince Jason, swear this in the name of King Eulogimenos Tantal that what we are saying is true."

"Can confirm Ex-Chairman Bana give these people some kind of supplies," Niranira added. "Military supplies, me thinks. And in great number, yes."

"But, why would…" Raqura began.

"What if I told you that the Aegis known as Malos, who razed the world five centuries ago, was involved?" the Praetor asked.

"Ridiculous. Everyone knows that he disappeared in a blaze of flame!"

"He's very much alive, believe me," Jason declared. "Me and Special Inquisitor Margaret fought him on Earth one year ago."

The Flamebringer nodded in agreement. "I concur with Prince Jason. Malos is still alive. And if our word isn't enough for you…"

Mythra and Frank then entered the room. Raqura gasped as she noticed the female Blade's Core Crystal. "T-that Core Crystal."

"This is another Aegis, named Mythra, and her Driver, Frank Ladair," Jason introduced. "Surely you've heard of them by now, Your Highness?"

"So the stories we heard were true," Raqura said. "Frank 'Ladair'? Is he…?"

"Yes," Frank confirmed with a nod. "I am Special Inquisitor Margaret's older brother, and cousin of Emporer Niall." He then locked eyes with the emperor and bowed his head. "My apologies, Your Majesty. I never thought our first meeting would go like this."

"So then Mor Ardain has control over an Aegis…"

"No, that is incorrect," Meg interjected. "While I have officially sided with Mor Ardain, my brother has made no such decision as of yet."

"Then why is he here?"

"I'm here because I am Mythra's Driver, and because I am part of Mor Ardain's imperial line," Frank answered in a firm tone. "I may not have sided with my homeland politically, but I won't allow it to be accused of treachery it didn't commit. Allow me to also apologize in advance for anything I say during this tribunal. I am not very familiar with politics, so I don't fully know how things work around here."

Jason then cleared his throat. "We're not here to discuss about Frank and Mythra. This is a dire situation, Queen Raqura…"

**Later in the dorms**

Mika was staring out the window, looking towards the Audience Chamber. "Frank and Mythra have been in there for hours now. It's already six o'clock."

"We just have to trust them," Jin replied. "They're dealing with the leaders of entire nations. It's not going to be easy. These things take time."

"Besides, it's not like we'd be much help either," Nia added.

The others agreed and silently waited for their friends.

**Back in the conference hall**

Frank let Mythra do most of the talking, with him only speaking when asked a question.

"I've noticed something off about Malos," Mythra said. "He's an Aegis, but you wouldn't know it from how he's fighting. I think… I'm pretty sure he's damaged in some way."

"You mean he can't use the full extent of his powers?" Luke questioned.

Mythra folded her arms. "The wounds I dealt in our battle long ago may not be completely healed. His end-goal is Elysium. He wants to go back to the place he was born. There he can heal until his powers have recovered."

"If Malos is allowed to restore himself…" Meg started.

"The horrors of five centuries past will return," Raqura finished grimly. "Can you confirm this, Frank Ladair?"

Frank paused before answering. "I can confirm that Malos hasn't been fighting on Mythra's level during any of our encounters. As for him heading for Elysium, I can't say." He rested his right hand on his waist. "However, Mythra is my partner and my friend. I trust her with my life. If she says that Malos is going to Elysium, then I believe her."

"Frank," Mythra muttered as she briefly stared at her Driver in awe, before continuing. "It could be even worse than that. Malos's goal is simple. He means to destroy humanity in its entirety."

"Why would anyone desire that?" Niall questioned.

"Perhaps he doesn't even need a reason," Mythra theorized. "It seems to be a deep-seated drive. An instinct. As natural as breathing."

"All of this is my responsibility," Amalthus voiced.

Emperor Niall eyed the Indoline curiously. "Praetor Amalthus? Whatever do you mean?"

Amalthus silently stared at the table before lifting his head. "It was none other than I who awakened Malos and unleashed him upon the world."

"So, Your Eminence," Raqura said with interest, "the rumor that you were once Malos's Driver is…"

"I never intended to obscure the truth," Amalthus revealed. "It is writ plain for all to see in history books. I was a fool. It was to prevent such foolishness from repeating that all passage to the World Tree was forbidden after the Aegis War. However, it seems that the laws of man do not apply to Malos."

"What are you saying, Your Eminence?" Frank spoke up.

Amalthus was silent for a moment. "I believe the time has come to lift that restriction…"

The tribunal went on for another half hour. After it concluded, everyone but Amalthus, Frank and Mythra left the room. The Praetor wished to speak with the Aegis alone. Frank was hesitant to leave his Blade's side, but Mythra told him to wait for her outside.

"I appreciate this," Amalthus said after they were alone.

Mythra lowered her arms and glared at the Praetor. "Don't think you've earned my trust," she warned, bitterness filled her voice. "But since Frank is going to Elysium, their paths are bound to cross. That's all."

"I'm surprised to see how devoted you are to the boy."

Mythra grunted. "It's for both our sakes," she said plainly.

"I don't think it's as simple as that."

The Aegis glared daggers at the Praetor. "Watch it! I already told you, leave my personal life out of this!"

"My apologies. I overstepped my bounds."

"Duh," Mythra scoffed. "But what about you, Amalthus? Who are you living for?"

Amalthus didn't answer.

**Later**

Mythra left the conference room to rejoin her Driver. Together, they began walking back to their room.

"Something wrong?" Frank asked, noticing that the Aegis was awfully quiet.

"No. Let's just meet up with the others. The Praetorium is holding a funeral for Haze tomorrow."

Knowing better than to press Mythra further, Frank nodded in agreement. Ethan and the others were curious on what happened during the tribunal. Although Frank and Mythra told them everything that was discussed, it was still unclear on whether Mor Ardain and Uraya would stand down. It was getting late, so everyone chose to call it a night.

**The next day**

Frank and the others got up early for the funeral. Meg and Brighid weren't present as they were with Emperor Niall to discuss their next move. They stood at the back of Seoris Plaza, which was outside the Sanctum, as Amalthus led the ceremony. Many civilians came to pay their respects for the deceased Blade. Frank was silently watching the ceremony, with Jin by his side. Azurda was sitting in the Driver's hood, bowing his head in respect.

Mythra, on the other hand, was in the back of the group with Sonum, Nia and Dromarch.

"They did call her a goddess," Sonum voiced as she rubbed her Blade's fur. "The state funeral makes sense…"

Nia faced the Aegis. "Shouldn't you be with Frank?"

"He's a boy," Mythra answered plainly. "It's best to not bother them at times like this. Besides, he's got Jin to help him through it."

Nia shrugged. "I expected you'd be more clingy. You really are different from Pyra."

Mythra brushed her hair with her fingers. "Actually, it was Pyra's idea to leave him alone."

Nia looked surprised. "Really? Pyra's? Get out!" She then smirked mischievously. "So, wait, you're saying you _want_ to go be clingy, or what?"

Mythra looked down on the Gormotti and raised her hand threateningly. "I'll burn you," she said simply.

The Gormotti quickly raised her hands in defense, but her smirk remained. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Sheesh."

"Doesn't anyone think this is weird?" Sonum said suddenly. "Normally when a Blade or its Driver dies, it just goes back to being a Core Crystal. So why is Fan just dead?"

"I did wonder the same thing," Mythra said. "There's only one way I know for a dead Blade to keep its physical form." She placed her right hand on her Core Crystal. "Remember Minoth… I mean Cole? He's a Flesh Eater."

Nia nodded slowly. "Yeah. Cole did mention that."

"But Haze wasn't a Flesh Eater. I can say that for sure." Mythra made a diamond with four fingers and showed it to Nia and Sonum.

"What's that?" Sonum asked.

"That's the shape of Haze's Core Crystal," Mythra explained. "Well, how it used to be anyway."

"But now it's a triangle."

Mythra lowered her arms and nodded. "Frank and I are quite a unique case, but this is different still."

"How's it different?" Sonum questioned.

"If a Blade shares its core with another, its shape changes in a uniform fashion," Mythra answered. "In our case, the center part went to Frank, and the outer part to us. I don't know why that is, but it seems to be a rule."

"But Fan's isn't like that," Nia said.

"Exactly," the Aegis replied as the funeral reached its end. "It looks more like someone stole her core, doesn't it?"

**To be continued**


	25. Chapter 25: Bana's Revenge

**Chapter 25- Bana's Revenge**

"That was quite the grand funeral ceremony," Azurda said.

"It certainly spoke volumes to just how much Fan was loved by her people," Dromarch added.

"The Goddess of Indol won't be an easy position to replace," Mika said.

Nia eyed the Aegis Driver, who still hadn't said a word. "Hey, Frank," she spoke up. "What are you going to do from here on out?"

"I don't know," Frank answered. "I'm torn between going to Elysium and helping Emperor Niall with Uraya."

"Whatever you decide," Jin said. "Know that I'll be by your side, Frank."

"Me too," Mythra added. "Besides, it's not like I've got anything better to do."

"Wow," Pandoria commented, sounding almost impressed. "Mythra almost said something nice. It's a miracle!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Mythra shouted, causing the others to laugh.

Suddenly an Indoline soldier approached the group. "Master Frank," the soldier said. "Praetor Amalthus wishes to speak with you. He is waiting in the audience chamber."

Frank nodded in acknowledgement. "Understood. Tell him we're on our way."

"By your leave." The soldier walked away.

"I wonder what the Praetor wants now?" Mika questioned.

Jason shrugged. "It probably has something to do with the World Tree. Let's go and find out."

The group headed for the audience chamber. When they arrived, they saw dozens of Core Crystals hovering in front of Amalthus. Strange lights surrounded them, looking almost like DNA strands. After a few moments, Amalthus turned to face the group.

"My apologies. Did I keep you waiting?"

"No, not really," Frank replied. "What were you doing with those Core Crystals?"

"I was cleansing the Core Crystals," Amalthus answered. "It markedly increases their resonance success rate. Bonding with a Crystal carries certain risks, you know. When I became the Driver of an Aegis, this power was awakened in me."

"Does that mean Frank can do it too?" Mika asked curiously.

"Hard to say," Amalthus replied. "Different people are cut out for different things. It's possible that Frank possesses powers that are quite different from my own."

Frank shrugged. "Oh, well. I can't exactly see myself 'cleansing' anything anyway."

"Now then," Amalthus continued. "My work is done for the day. Come with me."

The Praetor led the party into his office. It was there he told them what he wanted Frank to do.

"You want me to be a special envoy… for Tantal?" Frank questioned.

Amalthus nodded. "Correct. Behold." He showed them a map of Alrest, which was on his desk. "As I'm sure you're aware, this is Alrest. We make our homes on the backs of Titans, moving in circles around the World Tree." He pointed at a certain part of the map. "And here is the Great Void. This Void came into being five hundred years ago, after the Aegis War."

"So I've heard," Frank said. "It keeps people from reaching the World Tree. It and the Artifice, Ophion."

"Ophion was the one who created the Great Void," Amalthus explained. "It is one of Mythra's Artifices, along with Siren."

"If that thing is Mythra's, then why didn't we just go straight for the World Tree from the very beginning?" Nia questioned.

"Frank wanted to gather everyone and go together," Mythra explained. "Besides. I've been trying to call to Ophion during our travels but its not listening to me. Because of that, it was too risky to go straight to the World Tree. You see, Ophion was felled in the ancient battle with Malos, sinking below the clouds. If it's still around, then that means someone revived it."

"Correct," Amalthus confirmed.

"And you're saying that someone was Jason's home country, Tantal?"

"Yes. They gave Ophion one directive. To ensure that none approach the World Tree. They sought to prevent a repeat of the horrors of the Aegis War. So an obstacle was created, the Great Void."

"How did they manage a feat like that?" Mythra questioned.

"As I said, mankind is regressing." Amalthus briefly locked eyes with Jason before continuing. "Only one artifact remains that can rescind Ophion's orders, and it lies in Tantal."

"It's called the Omega Fetter," Jason spoke up. "And it's guarded by the royal family. I can take you guys to it."

"I've already prepared your envoy documents," Amalthus added. "Your quest is to reach Elysium, correct? Or has that been changed with what's happening between Mor Ardain and Uraya?"

Frank lowered his head. "To be honest, I'm still trying to decide what to do. Do I continue my goal with reaching Elysium, or do I help my cousin and homeland?"

"I understand why you feel conflicted," Amalthus said. "Think of it this way. Mor Ardain's Titan is dying. Even if war between it and Uraya doesn't occur, the Titan will still die. Reaching Elysium would be the best way to help your people, since it's supposedly a bountiful land. Do you understand what I'm saying, Frank?"

The Aegis Driver slowly nodded. "Yeah, somehow. I guess I'll continue with trying to reach Elysium. That seems like the best path, in the end."

"Very well," the Praetor said. "Malos and his ilk will surely seek the Omega Fetter for themselves. That means you will most likely fight your father, Zeke, again. You must reach Elysium before they do. When you get there, please inform me of what you find there. Do it as a favor for a once-foolish old man, and so that people may have a future in this dying world."

**Later**

Frank and the others were in the courtyard of the Praetorium.

"So Jason," Jin said. "I take it you and Pandoria will guide us to Tantal?"

The Tantalese prince nodded in confirmation. "Yep. We can reach Tantal by ship, but once there we'll need to do a fair bit of walking to reach the capital."

"So we really are traveling with Shellhead and Sparky," Nia remarked. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Will you stop calling me 'Sparky'!" Jason exclaimed.

"Okay, I'll admit," Mika said, "I've kind of gotten used to being called 'Shellhead'. Besides, haven't we shown to be excellent allies?"

"I don't know," Ethan said. "Knowing your luck, Mika, we'll be shipwrecked by morning."

Everyone laughed, even Mika and Kasandra.

Frank then remembered something Jason said the other day.

"Hey Jason?"

"What is it?"

"What did you mean that anything involving Torna was personal for you?" Frank asked.

"Oh, that. I don't know about those clowns," Jason explained, "but Torna, the country that fell five hundred years ago… They were the ancestors of us Tantalese. Tantal's royal family are even descended from Addam, the hero of Torna who escaped its destruction."

"Seriously? No way!" Sonum said in disbelief.

Frank, on the other hand, looked confused. "That doesn't make any sense. I was told that Addam founded Fonsett Village after the Aegis War, not an entire nation."

"Well Leftheria doesn't have an actual government," Jason explained. "It's possible that Addam created both after the Aegis War."

"I agree with Frank," Dromarch spoke up. "I have studied much history, yet I've never heard this story. Most peculiar."

"We're humble," Jason said. "We don't really like to brag about it." The prince brought out a small, thin object with a crest. "The only real trace left is this sigil of the royal family."

Both Mythra and Jin narrowed their eyes as they examined the crest but said nothing. The Aegis then flashbacked to her conversation with the Praetor yesterday.

**Flashback- Yesterday**

"So why did you awaken Haze?" Mythra questioned.

"Because her power was of great use to me," Amalthus answered. "Indol has found itself under attack from Torna a number of times. She was necessary for driving them back."

Mythra looked unconvinced. "Really? Then why don't you seem to have any others? Blades, that is."

Amalthus chuckled. "Though I may be a Driver, I am not a fighter. Besides, I find the warrior monks here so reliable. They get the job done."

The Aegis folded her arms. "Hmm… If you say so. I wonder, do you know why Torna are using the name of a dead country?"

The Praetor shook his head. "It could be because Torna was one of Malos's targets during the Aegis War. Or it could be because of Zeke. There are rumors that his deceased wife, Selena, had some Tornan ancestry. Perhaps he sought to honor her in that way. Who can say? Perhaps both."

"Is that really all there is to it?" Mythra questioned.

"You don't think so?"

"I don't know much about what happened while I slept. There are no written records either. All we have is the stories passed down."

"And you think that is insufficient?" Amalthus asked. "History is a murky thing. Only those present can truly know what took place."

"But weren't you one of those present?" Mythra pressed further.

"And that is why I offer you my cooperation."

**Present Day**

"I guess we'll find out if we go to Tantal," Mythra said.

The group began heading for the port to board a ship.

"Man, I am not looking forward to seeing my father again," Jason said.

"Why is that?" Jin asked curiously.

"Let's just say that we don't see eye-to-eye on things and leave it at that."

They soon arrived at the plaza, where they saw multiple Ardainian and Urayan soldiers gathered.

"Tension feels really high," Sonum mused.

"From what I gather," Dromarch said. "It seems an official summit is to be held between Mor Ardain and Uraya."

"A summit?" Nia questioned. "You mean about the recent punch-up? But I thought…"

"Didn't Praetor Amalthus get them to stop?" Ethan finished.

"Sort of," Frank said. "Maybe they want to discuss things that they don't want Indol to know about."

"Did Meg tell you about this?" Mika asked his friend.

The Aegis Driver nodded. "Somewhat. She came to me last night and told me about the summit. Although she didn't tell me everything since she didn't want to risk being overheard by Indol."

"Besides," Jason added. "Uraya doesn't like to associate too closely with Indol. They'd hate to be seen as acquiescing to the Praetor's will. They have to keep up appearances, you know?"

Nia folded her arms and cocked her head in confusion. "Ac…quiescing?"

"Letting the Praetor order them around," Jason clarified. "Anyway, this summit must be the reason why we haven't seen Meg and Brighid all day."

"Indeed," Poppi agreed. "They must be very busy."

**Meanwhile**

Niall, Aegaeon, Meg and Brighid were in a private room on the Ardainian flagship, discussing what they should do.

"Shared sovereignty over Gormott?" Meg questioned.

Niall nodded. "Yes. I don't think anything less will be sufficient enough to placate them. The only other way would be to offer the Aegis to Uraya, and we both know that Frank would never allow that."

"Agreed. But the Senate would never approve it…"

"I can overrule them by decree," Niall said. "Of course, I would need to secure Senator Roderich's cooperation."

"Imperial decree?" Meg said, sounding impressed. "If it's come to that… Well then I cannot dissent." She bowed in respect. "I cannot help but admire your courage, Your Majesty."

Niall gave his cousin a light smile. "That means a lot coming from you. I just wish that Frank would join us. I'm curious to hear everything he's been through with Mythra."

"I'm sure if we ask him, he will."

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. The door then opened as Niranira ran inside.

"Acting Chairman Niranira," Meg said.

"Sorry for intrude," Niranira said. "Is emergency, so Niranira take liberty of drop by unannounced…"

"You certainly look troubled, Chairman," Niall noticed. "So what is this emergency you speak of?"

"Well…"

**Back to Frank and the others**

"So then," Jason said as he held his chin. "We can use a ship here to get to Tantal. I assume the Praetor has one waiting for us."

"Hey Jason," Sonum spoke up. "Are we really just gonna leave Meg and Brighid behind?"

"They've got their hands full with the summit," the Tantalese prince reminded. "Everyone has their own priorities."

"But didn't we promise not to let anything separate us again?" the Water Driver questioned.

Jason grunted and nervously looked away.

"Meg's schedule is filled with official duties right now," Azurda said. "Remember, she's the Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain. There are going to be times where she can't travel with us."

"Maybe we should stick around for the summit," Frank said suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Jin asked.

"I… I just don't like the idea of running off without even trying to help my sister," Frank explained. "We've come so far together. I don't want it to end here."

"I know how you feel, Frank," Jason admitted. He noticed something from the corner of his eye. "Huh? Speak of the devil…"

Everyone turned and saw Meg and Brighid approach them.

"Meg. Brighid," Ethan said. "We were just talking about you."

"I'm glad you guys are still here," Meg said, looking relieved. "I have urgent news to tell you."

"What is it?" Mythra questioned.

"We've received word that Former Chairman Bana with attack the Ardainian-Urayan summit, tonight," Brighid answered.

"What?!" Nia exclaimed.

"Seriously?" Mika said. "First Torna, then the tribunal, now this?"

"Are you sure?" Frank asked in concern.

The Flamebringer nodded. "If blood gets spilled at the summit, it'll mean war."

"War's good for business," Jason said logically. "Bana must be trying to use that to get himself back in the Guild."

Frank gritted his teeth in anger. "Why that little… I was wondering where he slithered off to after the incident at the factory."

"It seems Acting Chairman Niranira wishes to take care of this incident covertly," Meg continued. "That way it won't reflect too badly upon the Argentum Trade Guild."

"So, you came to us?"

"Indeed, Brother. If we mobilize the whole army, then the whole thing becomes public. Can I count on you for help?"

Frank nodded. "Of course. Leave it to us. Do you know how Bana plans to attack the summit?"

"Unfortunately, no," Meg revealed. "You know Bana as well as I. There's no telling what he could be plotting."

"According to Acting Chairman Niranira," Brighid said. "Several giant weapons were being built at the factory where we last saw Bana. And one of them is currently unaccounted for."

Ethan looked down at the ground. "Giant… weapons…" he said slowly, catching Poppi's notice.

"Sounds like we've got a lead, albeit a vague one," Jin said. "We'll do some digging and see what we'll find out."

"Thank you," Meg said sincerely. "I would come with you, but I must remain by His Majesty's side for his protection. Good luck."

The Flamebringer and her Blade headed back for the Ardainian flagship.

"This is just great," Nia said. "Where exactly should we even begin looking? We don't even know how Bana plans on attacking the summit!"

Frank paused to think. "Let's split up and ask around. We'll meet in front of the inn in one hour."

"Good idea," Jason agreed. "Maybe someone saw anything suspicious happening today."

The team split up into groups of two. Frank and Mythra, Jason and Pandoria, Ethan and Poppi, Jin and Nia, Mika and Kasandra, and finally Sonum and Dromarch. They spent the next hour asking around before regrouping back at the inn.

"Did anyone learn of anything useful?" Frank asked.

"Poppi and I heard that an unusual shipment of ingredients was recently delivered to the Ardainian flagship," Ethan said. "Some of them had an unusual smell, but nothing else seemed out of place."

"Pandy and I got word of Tirkin being sighted on the Ardainian flagship. Which I might add, are Bana's main force."

"My lady and I learned that a Nopon went to an Indoline merchant to buy poisonous substances," Dromarch said. "The merchant told the Nopon he didn't sell anything of a sort, so the Nopon left the shop and began asking around at other places."

"We found out a large wooden crate was transported onto the Ardainian flagship," Mythra said. "Thing is, it was on the cargo list, so no red flags were raised. However, the soldier we talked to was curious about why the crate was delivered in the first place."

"Lucky bastards," Nia said. "All we got were just people complaining about the conflict between Mor Ardain and Uraya while praising Indol."

"Same," Mika added.

"Well let's sort out what we've learned," Frank said. "We know that Bana is planning to attack the summit, and that Tirkin have been spotted around the Ardainian flagship."

"Then there's the strange shipments with the odors and a Nopon trying to buy poison," Jason added as he held his chin. "But what does it all mean?"

"The Ardainina flagship is the most secure vessel here, and only trustworthy people will be attending the summit," Ethan said. "A direct attack wouldn't work. So how does Bana plan to kill Emporer Niall and Queen Raqura?"

"I know!" Kasandra said. "Bana must have sent Tirkin to poison the food at the summit!"

"That is possible," Jin mused. "But you're forgetting that Brighid mentioned that one of the giant weapons from the factory is missing and that large wooden crate that was delivered onto the flagship. How do you explain that?"

"Uh?" the Dark Blade stammered.

"We don't have the time to discuss this. Here's what we'll do," Frank said. "Me, Mythra, and Jin will go investigate that crate. Something about it is bothering me. Jason, you take the others and look for those Tirkin. Fight only if they attack, but do not kill them. We can't exactly question them if they're dead."

The Tantalese prince nodded in acknowledgement. "Got it."

The group hurried to the Ardainian vessel, where they were allowed aboard thanks to Frank. The Aegis Driver and his Blades began investigating the cargo hold, while Jason led the others to search for the Tirkin. Mythra quickly noticed the huge crate in the middle of the hold.

"This must be it," the Aegis said.

"Yeah," Jin agreed. "But what would the Ardainians need with a crate that size for?"

"Hey!" Frank called out to a soldier, gesturing him to come.

"Is something the matter, sir?" the soldier questioned.

"This crate… Where did it come from?"

"It's from an unknown supplier," the soldier confessed. "It contains provisions and supplies for the voyage back to the Empire."

Frank examined the crate closely. "Pretty big crate for just supplies. You sure that's all it is?"

"Positive, sir. Uh, pardon me for asking, but who are you again?" Frank showed the soldier his ring, who immediately paled. "L-Lord Frank?! My deepest apologies, milord. I didn't know it was you. I thought you would be older."

Frank waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Did anyone actually inspect the crate and its contents? Just to be sure?"

"Now that you mention it, there hasn't been an inspection on its contents. Apparently, they instead got a hefty amount of gold."

"Well that's not suspicious whatsoever," Mythra remarked sarcastically.

"Open this crate!" Frank ordered. "I want to see what's inside!"

"Yes, sir." The soldier hurried to get help to open the crate. While they waited, Jason and the others returned.

"Did you find those Tirkin?" Jin asked.

"Yeah," the Thunderbolt replied. "Turns out those Tirkin were hired to cater for the summit. We tasted the food, and it was surprisingly good. You?"

"We're getting some soldiers to open this crate to see what's inside," Mythra said.

Queen Raqura and her advisors then arrived, prompting the crate to start shaking. Soon the crate burst, revealing a Rosa weapon, but it was bigger, and it had a G on its forehead.

"What is this?!" Raqura demanded. "Is this some underhanded Ardainian trick?!"

"Wrong! But also right!" said a familiar voice through the machine's speakers. "Truth is complicated. Anyhow, here is where Queen die! If it looked like Queen killed by Mor Ardain, me in the money again!"

Rosa prepared to approach the Urayan Queen, but Frank and the others got in the way. Their weapons were drawn.

"That Blade…" Raqura said as she saw Jin beside his Driver.

"Not gonna happen, Bana!" Frank declared. "Your schemes end here!"

"You!" Bana shouted angrily. "You and friends put Bana out of business! Bana not let Frank interfere with plans again!"

"Ethan, that artificial Blade is different from before," Poppi warned.

Ethan nodded grimly. "You're right. I can feel a greater power inside it than last time. And what's with that 'G'? Kinda stupid if you ask me."

"What's going on?!" Meg demanded as she, Brighid, Niall and Aegaeon entered the hold.

"Wh-what is that?!" Niall exclaimed.

"Oho-ho-ho," Bana chuckled. "Even Emperor come straight to Bana! Convenient little moth to flame!"

"Come on, Bana," Nia scolded. "Just accept that its over. You can't take all of us on. Not to mention that there are so many witnesses here."

"If Bana simply kill everyone, then nobody blab!" Bana declared. "Victory of Bana is assured… All thanks to Giga Rosa!"

"Someone seems to be overestimating themselves. This ends here, Bana!" Frank summoned Roc, but had the Blade keep his scythes. "Roc, I need you to protect Queen Raqura. Make sure she stays unharmed."

"Understood," the Wind Blade squawked before moving to the Urayan Queen's side to defend her.

"Meg! Brighid! Protect the Emporer! We'll handle Bana!"

Meg drew her whipswords and nodded. "Very well. Be careful, Brother."

Frank and his team charged at Rosa. The artificial Blade fired a barrage of missiles from its fingers, but Jin and Jason deflected them with their ice and lightning.

"Bringer of Chaos!" Mika shouted as darkness enveloped his hammer before jumping high in the air. "Ultimate Shadow Smash, Max!" He slammed his shield hammer into the ground, creating a small dark explosion that toppled Giga Rosa.

"Stratespheric Thunder!" Jason exclaimed. Purple lightning encased his sword as he performed an upward slash while jumping, launching the artificial Blade into the air.

"Mythra, now!" Frank tossed his sword to the Aegis, who caught it with one hand.

"I'm on it!" Golden light radiated from Mythra's body. "Photon Edge!" The Aegis performed a series of slashes across Giga Rosa's body at the speed of light before returning to her Driver's side, along with handing back the sword.

Rosa, on the other hand, crashed into the ground, but got back up. It was still operational, but it was covered with deep gashes. The artificial Blade fired a large missile at Ethan. Strangely though, it landed behind the Driver rather than hitting him directly.

"What?" Ethan said in confusion.

Suddenly Poppi grabbed Ethan by the arm and pulled him away from the missile, which promptly exploded. Luckily, Poppi was able to protect them from the blast with her defense barrier.

"Thanks."

Poppi gave him a light smile. "You're welcome."

"Everyone, watch out for those missiles!" Ethan warned. "They don't hit you directly, but explode instead!"

"Got it," Jin acknowledged as he, Mythra and Frank charged at the enlarged Blade.

Rosa had fired a few projectiles at Raqura and Niall, but Meg and Roc protected them from being hit with blue flames and green wind respectively.

"You won't hurt my cousin on _my_ watch!" Meg declared.

Meanwhile, Sonum and Nia flanked Rosa from behind and struck its short, stubby legs with their twin rings. They then quickly retreated when Rosa tried to stomp on them.

"Why won't you die?!" Bana shouted. He had Rosa shoot lasers from her eyes at the Aegis Driver and his Blades, but Mika intercepted it with Mountain Guard, which morphed his hammer into a shield. Kasandra then enforced it with her defense barrier.

"I don't think so," Mika said confidently.

"Luck's not on your side, Bana," Kasandra added.

Frank switched the Aegis Sword for the Ice Nodachi. "Let's finish this," the Driver said. "Ready, Jin?"

"Of course."

"Midnight Sun!" the duo shouted in sync as a golden aura surrounded them. Frank began with a series of high-speed slashes across Giga Rosa's chest, before passing the nodachi to Jin. The Paragon of Torna then stepped in and dealt powerful slashes on the artificial Blade, causing it to lose power. Bana was soon ejected from Giga Rosa's cockpit and landed in front of the Drivers and Blades.

"H-how…" Bana stuttered.

"It's over, Bana!" Jason declared as he held his sword in a threatening manner. "Surrender now while you still have the chance!"

"Ex-Chairman Bana," Meg addressed as she approached the Nopon. "You are under arrest. The Praetorium will handle the judgement. Assassination is a serious matter. Your sentence will be harsh."

Queen Raqura stood by the Special Inquisitor and said with folded arms, "So the mercantile genius Bana meets an inglorious end before my very eyes. Pitiful."

"Grr… Bana is… Bana is not kind of man to go down like this!" The Ex-Chairman revealed a detonator, shocking everyone. "If I go down, I take you with me!" He prepared to activate the detonator.

Niall was the first to take action. "Watch out!" The Emperor ran at Bana. "Aegaeon!"

The Water Blade nodded. "As you wish!" Aegaeon created a water barrier to protect the Drivers, Blades, and Urayans.

Much to Meg and Frank's horror, Niall exited the barrier to stop Bana. Unfortunately, Bana had already pressed the detonator and Giga Rosa exploded. Aegaeon's barrier protected everyone behind it from harm, but Bana and Niall weren't so fortunate. Bana had already collapsed from the injuries inflicted on him, but Niall was still standing. Everyone was shocked, especially the Urayans.

"Niall Ardanach," Raqura said in awe. "You… You sought to protect us?"

The young emperor turned around and smiled weakly. "I'm… glad…" Niall then fell backwards, prompting Meg to run to him.

"Majesty!" Meg cried out as she knelt beside her cousin and picked him up. "Niall! No!" She didn't even notice her brother standing behind her.

"No," Frank said in disbelief. "Not again. To protect us you…"

"Your Majesty… I have failed you…" Aegaeon was then changed into a Core Crystal.

Nia watched as the siblings were in mourning. She swallowed nervously, knowing what had to be done. "Jin… Distract them."

The Ice Blade gave the Gormotti a confused look. "Nia… Wait, are you…?"

"There's still time," Nia said. "But you must hurry."

Jin slowly nodded before saying, "There are more of them!"

The Drivers all turned to face the Ice Blade.

"What did you say?" Mika questioned.

"This way!" Jin said. "Roc, get the Queen to safety! Now!" He then ran off.

The Tantalese prince turned to the Aegis Driver. "Frank!"

Frank nodded. "I know. Let's go!" The group, except Nia, then hurried after the Paragon of Torna while Roc escorted the Urayans away. Meg and Brighid were the last to leave. Once Nia was sure she was alone, she got to work. A watery veil surrounded her and Niall as her appearance changed. Nia began to heal Niall's wounds, causing the young emperor to stir.

He opened his eyes and noticed Nia. "You are…"

"Shh," Nia said soothingly. "You're going to be fine."

Niall soon passed out as Nia continued to heal him. Once she was done, the veil disappeared, and her appearance returned to normal. Soon Jin and the others returned, with some of them not looking to be in a good mood. Roc returned as well, having seen Queen Raqura to safety.

"What do you mean you imagined it?" Jason scolded. "You got us all worked up!"

Jin lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry. I thought I saw silhouettes. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"It's all right, Jin," Frank said. "We're all a little on edge. No one can blame you for that…"

"Hey! You guy!"" Nia cried out. "The emperor's awake!"

Everyone, except Jin, was shocked.

"What?!" Meg said as she saw Niall sit up.

"Can it be?" Brighid added.

The group hurried to Nia as she helped the emperor to his feet. Meg immediately pulled her cousin into a hug, tears of joy leaking from her eyes.

"I apologize for making you worry," Niall said as the two separated.

"But… how?" Sonum questioned.

"When Aegaeon returned to his core," Brighid said. "I was certain we had lost you. It's a miracle you're still alive."

Nia scoffed. "Honestly… you call yourselves soldiers?" she scolded. "I'm especially disappointed in you, Sonum. First aid? Anyone heard of it?"

"But his wounds…" Sonum said in defense.

Nia folded her arms. "Oh, they were just scratches. Nothing I couldn't fix."

Meg eyed the Gormotti gratefully. "Thank you, Nia. I truly don't know how to… I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"Don't sweat it. We're all friends, aren't we? Let's just say you owe me one and leave it at that."

It was getting late, so Frank and his friends went to the inn to rest. Meg and Brighid, however, remained on the Ardainian flagship.

**The Next Day**

Niall summoned Meg to meet him in ship's throne room.

"You should be resting," Meg said. "You're still in recovery from yesterday."

The emperor turned towards his desk, which was already stacked with paperwork. "Half a day off and look at all this paperwork," Niall said. "I swear, it's like they don't want me to sleep at all!"

"Majesty…"

Niall faced his cousin and said, "Special Inquisitor, I hereby issue you new orders. It is my wish that you travel with the Aegis as an emissary of the Empire. Help Frank guard her and defend her from her enemies untils they reach Tantal."

"Help my brother… protect Mythra?" Meg questioned slowly.

"I've already discussed it with His Eminence. He has given his approval."

"Forgive me. Your Majesty, I cannot accept. Just think about what happened yesterday! It would be sheer foolishness for me to leave your side!"

"Is that so?" Niall asked. "I can see it in your eyes. I know you would love nothing more than to continue traveling with Frank and Mythra."

"That's not-" Meg stopped herself. "I'm… your Special Inquisitor. Ensuring your safety is my only concern. To abandon that duty and go traveling…"

"Don't worry, my lady," Luke said as he entered the room. "I will protect His Majesty in your absence. Right now, the Aegis needs you more than the Empire does."

Meg eyed Luke in awe. "General Luke…"

Niall then held out Aegaeon's Core Crystal. "I want you to have this as well. A Driver who cannot protect himself is no Driver at all. That's what I learned yesterday. I don't have the aptitude for it. I know that Aegaeon would be much better off in your hands, Meg. Like Brighid, he is a Jewel of the Empire. He's meant to be used by a true Driver like you.

"The world is changing, Meg. I trust you more than anyone to lend your brother, my cousin, the wisdom and strength he will need. A magnificent power resides in you. Meg, that power is meant to be used."

"Niall…" Meg said slowly.

"You've been tied down long enough," the emperor said. "Follow your heart, Meg Ladair."

The Flamebringer smiled before accepting Aegaeon's Core Crystal from her cousin. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Very well, then. I hereby accept the task you have assigned me. And I will take good care of Aegaeon, too."

Niall nodded in acknowledgement. "That's the Meg I know and love. Make me proud."

"I will." Meg turned to face Luke. "General Luke, I'm entrusting His Majesty's safety to you. Protect him with your life."

Luke gave his superior a salute. "As you wish, Special Inquisitor. Safe travels."

Before Meg turned to leave she said, "Niall, after my journey is over, I will return Aegaeon to you. It is only right for the emperor to have at least one Jewel of the Empire, after all."

"As you wish. I look forward to the day you return in triumph."

The Flamebringer left to find Brighid. She found the Fire Blade in their room, writing in her diary.

Brighid eyed her Driver curiously. "What did His Majesty say?"

"We are to join Frank and the others for the rest of their journey. And we will have a new ally as well." Meg revealed Aegaeon's Core Crystal, which had regained its blue glow.

"Aegaeon? Is the emperor alright with you taking his Blade?" Brighid questioned.

Meg nodded. "Yes. After our journey is finished, I will have no need for Aegaeon's assistance, so I will return him to His Majesty then."

"Very well. We should hurry if we want to join Frank and the others. They will be departing for Tantal soon."

The duo left the Ardainian flagship and found their friends right by an Indoline ship. They then explained that they would be accompanying them for the rest of the journey.

"Nice!" Mika cheered. "We've got the Flamebringer on our side again!"

"Yeah! Nothing can beat us now!" Kasandra added.

Frank gave his sister a light smile. "Good to have you back, Meg. To be honest, I was hoping that you would come with us."

Meg returned the gesture. "Glad to be back, Brother. Now then, shall we depart?"

"Hold on," Ethan said suddenly. "Since we're all together again. Let's take a picture to celebrate."

"Well we do have some time to kill," Jin admitted.

It wasn't difficult finding someone to take their picture. However, the same could not be said for Mythra and Pyra, who both wanted to be in it. Luckily Frank resolved the issue by suggesting that they take two pictures, one for each Aegis. Both girls agreed on that and everyone gathered together, with Drivers standing by their Blades. The first photo taken had Pyra, while the second for Mythra. Curiously, right before the second picture was taken, Mythra unconsciously took Frank's hand into her own, which didn't go unnoticed by the Aegis Driver.

The photographer quickly developed the photos and gave copies to each of them.

"Nice," Frank said as he admired them. "This'll be a great reminder on how far we've come."

"Indeed," Meg agreed.

The group then headed back to the docks and boarded the Indoline ship to set out for the Kingdom of Tantal.

**Meanwhile on the Urayan flagship**

Queen Raqura was confiding her concerns to her advisors as they headed for Uraya. "I can't help but feel that in all the confusion surrounding Bana," she revealed, "our concerns have been neatly swept aside."

"The Praetorium maintains absolute control over Blade distribution," an Urayan added. "It is quite vexing. Awakening rates from natural cores are very low, which limits the pool of compatible Drivers."

"So to create large numbers of Drivers, the cleansing Indol provides is a necessity," Raqura said. "That much I'm willing to accept. The real problem is that the Aegis and her allies have awakened. Though her Driver seems kind, he is a part of Mor Ardain's imperial bloodline. Not to mention that he also has the Paragon of Torna. This changes things. This isn't the time to be squabbling over territory. If we misread the situation even a little, Uraya itself could be sunk to the Cloud Sea's bed.

"Emperor Niall must be thinking the same thing… Why else would he send his Special Inquisitor to accompany the Aegis to Tantal?"

"And now we find ourselves in their debt," an advisor stated.

"Who could have predicted such an act of selflessness?" the queen questioned. "Was it just the passion of youth, or was it…?" She paused for a moment. "In any case, for now we should keep our troops mobilized while we monitor the situation. I hardly expect Tantal will comply to the Praetor's plans so easily, either…"

The rest of the voyage was silent.

**To be continued**


	26. Chapter 26: Tantal

**Chapter 26- Tantal**

Frank was by the bow of the ship, overlooking the Cloud Sea, below. He was soon joined by Jason.

"Hey Frank," the Tantalese prince spoke up. "Mind if I ask you a question?"

The Aegis Driver faced his fellow Driver. "No. Shoot."

"Which one do you fancy, Pyra or Mythra?"

Frank's face immediately went beet red. "J-Jason! T-that's a little…" he stuttered before regaining his composure. "I don't know. They're the same person. I never gave it a lot of thought."

Jason smiled smugly. "Yeah, right. I've noticed that Mythra is the one who spends the most time with you, and Pyra isn't around most of the time. Not to mention their personalities are polar opposites. Pyra's kind and mellow, not to mention a good cook, but Mythra is intense and pushy."

"And an awful cook," Frank added. "We made the unfortunate mistake of letting Mythra cook dinner one time when we were still living in Fonsett. Let's just say Jin and I never let her anywhere near the kitchen again after that, once we managed the strength to get off the floor that is. Mythra means well, but she just has issues showing it." He noticed Jason laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that you always seem to defend Mythra regardless of what she does. I've never seen you two get into an actual fight either."

"Well I am her Driver, so I do have to live with her. But Pyra's not that different. She can be pretty stubborn when she wants to be."

"You seem to understand them pretty deeply," Jason mused. "But like you said, you are _their_ Driver."

They were silent for a moment.

"Hey, Jason?" Frank spoke up. "You're the crown prince of Tantal, right? Why were you and Mika in the Praetorium?"

"I figured you'd ask me that sooner or later. Pandoria and I spent about a week or so at Tantal after Klaus dropped us off. After that…"

"His old man kicked him out!" Pandoria spoke up.

Both Drivers nearly jumped as they found the Lightning Blade behind them.

"Bad Blade, bad!" Jason scolded. "How long were you standing there?"

"From about 'which one do you fancy'?" Pandoria revealed.

"But that's the whole conversation!"

"As I was saying, my Prince wanted to leave Tantal after just five days since he felt he wouldn't improve there," Pandoria explained. "His father ended up disowning him when we boarded a ship to go to Uraya. We then found Mika and Kasandra working in a theater and after we did a mercenary job together, we all decided to be a team. We traveled around Alrest before we eventually found ourselves at Indol."

"Which in turn led you all to me and Mythra," Frank concluded.

"Pretty much," Jason said.

"No offense, but your dad sounds really tough."

"More like a stubborn Armu," Jason said. "Tantal is an isolationist society. Crossing its borders without permission is strictly forbidden. It's been that way for ages now."

"But as you're aware, that didn't stop my Prince," Pandoria added. "He left a few times, so he got chewed out and disowned. Then the Praetor himself found us when Mika was half-dead on the ground one day, and took us in. He made up that 'special envoy' stuff."

Frank paused before answering. "I see. Are you sure it's safe for you to return to Tantal, Jason?"

"This time we've got official business from the Praetorium," Jason replied. "It'll be fine, probably. Besides, Tantal is too ignorant of the outside world. It desperately needs a wake-up call."

The trio was soon joined by an Indoline soldier, who said that they had arrived at the coordinates. Everyone gathered at the bow of the ship, although most of them were confused on what was going on.

"Ready, Pandoria?" Jason asked.

His Blade nodded. "You betcha!" Pandoria fired a blue beam into the Cloud Sea from her Core Crystal.

**Meanwhile in Tantal**

King Eulogimenos was in the throne room when Fortis approached him.

"My lord. Genbu has begun surfacing," Fortis said.

"I'm aware," Eulogimenos replied. "It's Pandoria. It seems my son has chosen to return once again."

"We have received reports that he's made contact with the Aegis in Indol," Fortis added.

"So after five hundred years, he makes his move," the king mused. "Praetor Amalthus."

"My lord?"

"We must act to protect our days of peace, even if they are a dream that cannot last…"

**Back to the group**

Frank and the others watched as Genbu emerged from the Cloud Sea.

"Wow!" Sonum said in awe.

"Genbu is the same Titan-type as Uraya," Jason explained. "It normally stays submerged in the Cloud Sea. Even in early fall, it can get pretty cold inside Tantal. Be careful that you don't freeze!"

Nia shivered at the thought. "Brr… I can't stand the cold."

"I can provide my own warmth," Brighid offered, creating a small blue flame in her right hand. "You can stay close to me if you like."

"Me as well." Mythra changed into Pyra before creating a small red flame in her right hand.

"You guys are pretty handy to have around," Nia commented.

Both Fire Blades dismissed their flames. "Well," Pyra said. "It is our trademark."

"Indeed," Brighid agreed.

The ship soon docked at the harbor, where the group was immediately greeted by the cold air.

"Geez! It's so cold!" Sonum exclaimed as she rubbed her arms together for warmth.

"My lady. You may use me to keep yourself warm," Dromarch offered.

"Thanks, Dromarch." Sonum climbed onto the tiger Blade's back and clung to him.

The group then began their way to the Theosoir, Tantal's capital. Ether particles descended from the sky as they moved through the snow.

"Amazing," Frank said in awe. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Uh… Nia… do you, uh, mind…" The others turned around and saw Nia clinging to Pyra's arm like a life rope. Everyone could tell that the Aegis was not comfortable with it.

"I can't help it," Nia defended. "You're so warm."

"Nia!" Frank chided. "Let Pyra go! She's not your personal heater!"

"Ugh… Fine." Nia removed herself from the Aegis. She then turned to Jin, who was the only Blade, besides Pyra and Brighid, to not be affected by the cold air. "How are you not freezing your core off?"

"My element's Ice," Jin remarked casually. "I don't get cold." He then looked up at a cliffside and saw something strange. "Is it just me, or do those ether lines look dim?"

"What are ether lines?" Kasandra asked.

"They're the veins that regulate the ether flow within Titans," Ethan explained as he pointed to glowing blue lines in the rocks above them. "Think of them like the bloodstream of a human. But still, I've never seen an ether line this dim before. Strange."

"That's because Genbu has pretty bad circulation, at least compared to the other Titans," Jason explained. "That's why the climate here is so cold and the failing crops."

"So Genbu's cold-blooded?" Frank guessed.

"Pretty much. Anyway, we've still got a ways to go before we reach the capital. Just follow me." Everyone followed the Tantalese prince as they continued their journey.

Mika's bad luck had struck yet again as the group had to fight their way through hordes of monsters before eventually finding themselves outside Theosoir. Along the way, Meg resonated with Aegaeon, adding another Blade to their ranks. The Flamebringer chose to tell the katana-Blade a little about his previous life, to which the Blade offered his loyalty to her and vowed to protect as he did with Emperor Niall.

"I swear, Mika," Ethan said in-between pants. "Your bad luck… will be the death… of us… one of these days!"

The Chaosbringer grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I'm not doing this on purpose."

"Can we move onto more important things right now?" Poppi asked. "We've arrived at the capital, so now what do we do?"

"We head for the castle and deliver the Praetor's papers to my father," Jason said. "If all goes well, we'll have the Omega Fetter in no time."

"And if things don't go well…" Sonum said nervously.

"Then things are gonna get really complicated, but let's not think about it. C'mon. This way!" Jason led his friends into the capital, where they were all awestruck by the ancient architecture. Jason went on to explain that Torna was a civilization that rivaled only Judicium at its time. Since the Tornan Titan fell in the Aegis War, much of the once great civilization was lost.

"While Judicium were the masters of biological arts, Tornans knew all there was to know about engineering," Jason went on. "The proud blood of Torna runs in the veins of us Tantalese."

"As long as there are people to pass it on to, civilization will endure," Dromarch added. "Knowledge is inherited, much like life itself."

"Nice quote," Nia commented. "Maybe you should write it down."

"Thank you."

"It's not that simple, though," Jason admitted. "Look." He pointed at the many closed-down shops, but there were still some places open. "Because of Tantal's cold climate and isolationist status, food is pretty scarce. What little food we do have comes from the black market and is smuggled into the nation. People have to pay ungodly prices just to feed themselves and their families."

"How awful," Pyra said in sorrow.

"It is. However, since the black market's the only thing keeping people from starving, the officials just turn a blind eye."

"So most of the agricultural production is wasted on just surviving," Brighid said. "And the country grows weak because of it…"

"Exactly," Jason confirmed.

Meg folded her arms. "So even the wisdom of a proud ancient civilization cannot solve all problems."

"This place is more like a giant museum with no tourists," Ethan remarked. "That's not gonna feed anyone."

The group continued their way to the castle. Once they entered the front gate, Fortis was there to greet them.

"Welcome back, Prince Jason," Fortis said. "We've been expecting you."

"Yeah, yeah," Jason passed off. "Is my father inside?"

Fortis nodded in confirmation. "Indeed. He has been eagerly awaiting your return."

Jason chuckled. "What have I told you about lying? No need to coddle me, Fortis."

"Apologies, my prince."

"In any case, it seems like he knows we're coming," Jason continued. "That saves us some time."

Fortis began leading the group to the throne room. Suddenly Meg stopped as she noticed a green energy coming out from one of the pillars. "Could it be?"

"Are you all right?" Brighid asked her Driver in concern.

"Yes." The Flamebringer then pulled Ethan and Poppi to the side, where she whispered something in his ear.

"Uh, yeah," Ethan said slowly. "Poppi is able to produce her own ether energy in reserve, but…"

"I'll explain later," Meg interrupted. "For now, just do what I ask."

"Alright. Leave it to me."

They then rejoined the others as they entered the throne room There, they found King Eulogimenos along with his guards. The king was sitting on his throne, looking down at them. Meg was the first to get down on one knee and bow towards Eulogimenos. The others soon followed her example, except Jason and Pandoria, who remained standing.

Frank handed the Praetor's letter to Fortis, who in turn gave them to the king. Eulogimenos read the letter in silence before glancing down at Pyra and then Jin.

"The Aegis, I assume," Eulogimenos said. "Along with Jin, the Paragon of Torna." He then ripped the letter to shreds, catching the Drivers and Blades off-guard.

The group rose to their feet as guards encircled them.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Jin demanded as he reached for his sword.

"Wh-what the hell is going on?!" Sonum exclaimed as Dromarch got in front of her in a protective manner. "Jason?!"

"I don't know!" the Tantalese prince cried out as guards held him and Pandoria back. "Stop this at once! Father!"

Eulogimenos firmly raised his hand. Suddenly Pyra was struck by a blast of lightning, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Frank!" Nia cried out in worry as she saw him doing the same.

A device then bound Pyra's arms and legs as she lost consciousness. The device then hovered over to King Eulogimenos's side.

"Pyra!" Frank exclaimed. He tried to go after her, but the guards blocked his way. The Aegis Driver gritted his teeth and said, "Jin!"

The Paragon of Torna nodded and tossed his sword to his Driver, who caught it with one hand.

"Let her go!" Frank demanded as he held the Ice Nodachi threateningly.

"Stop this madness!?" Jason shouted as he tried to get past the guards. "What's going on?! Frank and the others haven't done anything wrong!"

Eulogimenos stood up from his throne. "We cannot afford to wait until they do, Jason," the king replied calmly. "The world must not be allowed to burn. The Aegis must be destroyed!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Sonum declared. She drew her twin rings. "Dromarch! Let's help Frank rescue Pyra!"

"Understood!" The duo charged at the guards halting Frank's advance. Sonum tried to hit one guard with Jaguar Slash, but suddenly the ether in her weapons were drained, canceling her Art before it even began.

"The ether energy!" Sonum said in shock before being knocked back by one of the guards.

"My lady!" Dromarch cried out before a lightning bolt hit him, forcing the Blade to the ground.

Frank and Mika tried to use Arts as well but got the same result as the ether in their weapons were drawn out.

"What the hell?!" Frank exclaimed.

"Please do not resist," Eulogimenos pleaded. "My goal is only to destroy the Aegis. I have no wish to take your lives also."

"King Eulogimenos," Meg said with authority. "I stand before you as a special envoy of Mor Ardain. My cousin, the Emperor, sent me here himself. Do you realize what you're doing?"

"I am quite aware," Eulogimenos replied. "And I am prepared to face the consequences. Even if it means going to war with Mor Ardain."

"Prepared…?" Meg muttered under her breath.

The guards then took Frank and the others away, leaving just Jason and Pandoria with the king.

"Why?!" Jason shouted in outrage. "Why do you have to destroy Pyra?!"

"You're still the same as ever, my son," Eulogimenos said.

"What's that got to do with anything?! Don't you dare change the subject!"

"What if I told you I act for justice?" the king asked.

Jason eyed his father with suspicion. "What are you trying to say?"

"You could say I'm doing this for Alrest," Eulogimenos said.

"Say what now…?!"

"Follow me." The king led his son to a room filled with old Torna soldier supplies. On some of the crates was the very seal that Jason had shown his friends.

"Th-this is…" Jason stuttered. He was shocked at the sight.

"This is the legacy of our royal line," Eulogimenos said simply.

"You can't be serious." He faced his father with a pained expression. "Why? Father, why?!"

**Meanwhile**

Frank and the others were taken to a cell. For some strange reason, they were allowed to keep their weapons. Frank tried smashing the door with the Ice Nodachi, but his attacks kept bouncing off, failing to damage it. The Aegis Sword was strapped to his waist, but without Pyra supplying power to it, it was just an ordinary weapon.

"Curses!" Frank exclaimed in frustration. "Why can't I bust through?"

"It appears that the flow of ether energy is being blocked off," Dromarch said.

Frank looked like he was ready to strike the door again, but instead lowered his sword before clenching it tightly. "There's got to be something we can do. They're going to destroy Pyra!"

"We know, Frank," Jin said calmly. "But we can't afford to be reckless." He placed his hand on his Driver's shoulder in comfort. "Don't worry. We'll save Pyra."

"Doesn't the king realize that if he kills Pyra, he'll kill Frank as well?" Kasandra brought up.

"I don't think he cares," Azurda replied. "The king did say that he was prepared to go to war with Mor Ardain."

"Well regardless, we need to get out of here," Sonum said.

"Both the walls and the floor are built to withstand great force," Dromarch observed. "Even if the ether flow wasn't being blocked, I doubt even Jin could bust through it."

"Let's just calm down a little, Frank," Nia added. "If we think calmly, we'll come up with something." She then noticed that Meg, Ethan and their Blades off to the side, seemingly doing nothing. "Hey, you lot! Can you at least try to help us out here?!"

Meg glanced at the Gormotti and said, "Your efforts are pointless. The way they built this place… It's essentially one giant stasis web. It blocks off the ether energy that Drivers and Blades use to unleash Arts. To lock Drivers up together with their Blades, and even leave us our weapons… They must have the utmost confidence in it.

"Perhaps we could break through, given enough time," Meg continued. "But by then it will be too late, and the Aegis will have been disposed of, along with my brother's life."

"That's more than enough reason for you to help us!" Mika exclaimed. "It's not just Pyra's life that's at stake here! Frank's is too!"

Meg shook her head and remained firm. "I just said it's pointless," the Flamebringer reminded.

Nia scoffed in response.

"We won't get anywhere, with brute force, that is," Meg continued.

The other Drivers looked at the Special Inquisitor in confusion. Frank then noticed the smirk on his sister's face.

"You've already got a plan, haven't you?" Frank guessed as he smirked.

"You know me too well, Brother."

**Meanwhile**

Jason and Pandoria were out on the balcony in the palace, overlooking the city plaza. The prince was pondering on what he should do, especially after what his father had shown him.

"So what now, my Prince?" Pandoria questioned.

"This really ticks me off," Jason said.

"Uh, say what?" The Blade looked confused.

"I said, I'm ticked off!" Jason repeated. "Doing it for the world, my ass! How self-serving can you get…?"

"Okay, you've officially lost me," Pandoria said.

"This country is strangling itself to death with its own web of lies and excuses!" Jason explained. "But just maybe… maybe Frank can break it free…"

"Frank could?"

Jason faced his Blade with a renewed resolve. "No faith, eh?"

Pandoria simply shrugged. "Hey, whatever. If you believe in him, my Prince, then I'm with you all the way."

Jason put his hand on his waist and said, "Frank has a good heart. Even after everything he's been through, he still managed to maintain it. I refuse to stand by and let this happen!"

Pandoria smirked with pride. "I knew you'd say that," the Thunder Blade said. "This is what I like about you, Jason."

"This won't be easy…"

Pandoria adjusted her glasses. "Oh, quit it with the drama! When is anything ever easy for us?"

Jason chuckled in amusement. "True. Let's go."

The duo then headed back into the castle.

**To be continued**


	27. Chapter 27: The Dark Truth of Tantal

**Chapter 27- The Dark Truth of Tantal**

Meg and Ethan were working on Poppi, while everyone else merely observed.

"Uh, what are you guys doing?" Mika questioned.

Meg didn't answer and instead said, "That should do it."

"Everything looks good," Ethan added.

"Oi! You mind filling us in!" Nia exclaimed impatiently.

Ethan turned towards his friends with a mad smirk on his face. "You see, both Drivers and Blades draw in ether energy from the atmosphere to use Arts."

"Duh," Kasandra said. "Everyone knows that."

"But right now, you guys can't," Ethan continued.

"Yeah," Frank said. "It must have something to do with this room."

Ethan chuckled. "Oho-ho-ho. Did you guys forget that Poppi is an artificial Blade?"

"Of course not," Sonum said. "She's been with us the whole… Wait a minute…"

"I get it! Her ether furnace!" Frank realized.

Poppi nodded in acknowledgment. "Frank is correct. Thanks to Meg, I am now able to generate my own supply of ether energy. The barrier can't do anything about that."

"How did you manage to do that?" Jin wondered aloud.

"Simple," Ethan said. "I transferred the crystal from one of Meg's whipswords into Poppi's saber. That crystal has enough power for one Art. Since Poppi can change her element to whatever she wants, which is currently Earth, by synergizing it with Brighid's Fire Element, the power of that Art will be amplified!"

"If we hit it straight on, I doubt that door can withstand it," Meg finished.

"Wait a minute," Nia spoke up. "You stored energy in that crystal? How is that possible with the barrier…?"

"She didn't," Jin said. "Meg hasn't used a single Art since we arrived at the castle. And neither has Ethan."

"Of course," Dromarch caught on. "The barrier only works when an Art is used. It can't drain away stored ether energy."

Meg folded her arms and smirked. "I had my suspicions ever since we entered the palace," the Flamebringer revealed. "So I secretly asked Ethan not to use any Arts either."

"I see now," Azurda said. "If our enemies knew that Poppi retains her power inside the barrier, they would keep us on a tighter leash."

Frank rested his other hand on his waist and smiled. "Great job, Meg. I knew it was a good idea to have you around. You always prepare for every scenario."

Meg smiled at her brother. "I do what I can." She turned towards the artificial Blade. "Poppi. Now!"

"Roger! Roger!" Poppi took her saber from Ethan. "You all might want to step back."

The others immediately moved away from the door.

"Hold on!" Sonum spoke up. "If you transferred the crystal from your sword, Meg, what will you fight with?"

"I can generate a new one from Brighid's core. You didn't know that about Blade weapons?"

Sonum scratched her head in embarrassment. "No," she admitted. "I've never lost or broken my weapons before."

"Then I suppose I cannot blame you," Brighid said.

Poppi then proceeded to smash the door open with Noponic Axion. Frank and the others then hurried out of the cell, where Meg replaced the crystal in her swords with a new one.

"Now what?" Kasandra asked.

"The guards will be here soon because of the noise we just made," Azurda said. "We should go now!"

"Agreed," Frank said. "Jin, I need to borrow your sword for a bit longer."

The Ice Blade nodded in understanding. "It's all yours. Now it's my turn to support you."

"Lady Pyra was taken below," Dromarch added. "Maybe she's somewhere underneath the palace?"

The group then hurried down the hall, trying to find a way down. It wasn't long until they came across some guards.

"The prisoners have escaped!" one of them shouted. "Sound the alarm!"

"I don't think so!" Mika declared as he summoned Wulfric, scaring the crap out of the soldiers.

"Wh-what the hell is that?!" a guard shouted in fear.

"You… hurt my… friends," Wulfric said slowly as he readied his lance. "You will pay!"

"Take them down, Wulfric!" Mika ordered.

"Just don't kill them!" Frank added, getting confused looks from the others. "What? They're just following orders. They don't deserve to die because of it."

Jin chuckled in amusement. "Understood. Wulfric, let me help out."

"Very well," the Earth Blade said. "Termination Blast!" He fired an orange laser from his chest at the guards, blasting them away.

Mist began to gather as Jin formed icicles around him. "Hailstrike!" he shouted before sending the icicles flying at the guards, pinning them to the wall.

"Great job, you two," Frank said. "Now let's go!"

The group continued their way down the hall, with Mika keeping Wulfric out for the extra help. Eventually they reached a corridor with half a dozen soldiers blocking their way.

"Get out of our way!" Ethan ordered. "Our fight isn't with you!"

The soldiers didn't stand down. "We will not let you past! The Aegis must be destroyed!"

Suddenly the soldiers were struck by blue lightning, causing them to black out.

"Huh?" Frank said before smiling as he saw Jason and Pandoria approach them.

"We came here to bust you out," Jason said. "But it looks like you didn't need the help."

"Won't you get in trouble for helping us?"

Jason scoffed. "Like I care what my old man thinks. I'm the prodigal son anyway, it's not like it could get any worse for me."

"Where's Pyra?" Jin asked.

"This way," Pandoria replied. "Follow us."

Jason and Pandoria led their friends below the castle. They stopped when Frank suddenly flinched with pain.

"Are you alright?" Jason asked in concern.

Frank nodded as he held his side. "Yeah. It's just a scratch."

"Honestly," Ethan said. "When are you _not_ getting scratched up?"

The Aegis Driver ignored his friend's comment and said, "Ever since Pyra gave me half of her Core Crystal, things have been rough. But I don't mind… I feel like it's a symbol of our bond. And besides, I've got you all to help me. I couldn't have gotten this far without any of you."

Jason formed a light smile. "That you do, my friend. That you do."

**Meanwhile**

Pyra awoke and found herself floating helplessly in front of a strange machine.

"Where…?" Pyra questioned.

_Strung up in some kind of restraint,_ Mythra said. _Look ahead._

Pyra noticed the machine and said, _What is that?_

_An ether accelerator,_ Mythra replied. _I've seen one like it before, in old Torna. It certainly seems like they want us gone for good. So… if we cranked up the output and really focused it, we could probably manage one strike._

"If the people here really are the descendants of the Tornans," Pyra said. "Then I have a message for them that I must pass on."

_In that case, I'll leave it to you,_ Mythra said. _Just be careful. It's not just our lives that are at stake. Frank's is too._

"I know. Thank you, Mythra."

King Eulogimenos then appeared, along with his soldiers.

"I apologize for this, noble Aegis," Eulogimenos said sincerely. "I have no personal grievance with you. However, for the sake of this world, you must be destroyed where you stand."

"Is that truly your desire, Your Majesty?" Pyra questioned.

"I believe you desired the same thing yourself, once. Is that not why you disappeared from history along with Addam, the hero, and the other Blades?" The king turned to one of his soldiers. "Begin."

Pyra could only watch as the Tantalese began powering up the ether accelerator.

Suddenly a familiar voice cried out, "Pyra!"

"Frank!" the Aegis said with joy.

The Driver of the Aegis and his friends entered the corridor. Jason's eyes filled with shock.

"The ether accelerator!" Jason exclaimed.

"The what now?" Sonum asked in confusion.

"It's a weapon from long ago," the Tantalese prince explained. "It's designed to use Genbu's ether energy for destruction. I never dreamed that they'd fully restore it. My father's going to use it to kill Pyra! No matter how strong she is, there'd be no going back from that!"

"Then we can't let him use it!" Frank declared. "Everyone, attack!"

The group then readied themselves for battle as soldiers surrounded them. Roc and Aegaeon were also summoned to help. The Tantalese soldiers charged at the Drivers and Blades, weapons raised. The Drivers worked in unison with their Blades to protect each other as they tried to push forward towards the accelerator, which was still charging up. Roc had tried to save Pyra from the air but was stopped by ether shots from the soldiers.

"I can't get close!" Roc said.

Frank used Ultraslash to take down two soldiers before parrying another's attack with his sword. He gritted his teeth in frustration. "Just focus on the soldiers for now. We need to clear a path to the accelerator."

"Roger! Death Wing!" The Wind Blade summoned a huge tornado, sending a dozen soldiers flying.

Pyra could only watch as her Driver fought desperately to get to her. She could feel her consciousness slipping as the ether around her was being drained by the accelerator.

Meg tossed her whipswords to Brighid, who promptly used Will-o'-the-Wisp, which had the Blade send out a blast of blue fire around her, burning any enemies who were near. Aegaeon focused on keeping his Driver safe, keeping the soldiers back with his water and katana.

Meanwhile Nia, Sonum, and Dromarch were being pushed back into a wall by six soldiers.

"Crap. Now what?!" Nia asked in frustration.

Suddenly Jason and Pandoria appeared in front of the trio. "Sonic Thunderslash!" the duo yelled in sync. Lightning surrounded them before they charged at the soldiers, knocking them all to the ground while also damaging their armor.

"Thanks," Sonum said.

"You're welcome," Pandoria replied.

Ethan, Poppi, Mika, Wulfric and Kasandra formed a circle to better defend each other.

"There's so many of them," Ethan said as he deflected a soldier's spear with his saber before countering with Vorpal Slash.

"We can't give up!" Mika exclaimed. "We have to save Pyra!"

Wulfric roared in a beastial rage before slamming his lance into the ground, creating a small shockwave that knocked a few soldiers off their feet. Ethan and Poppi took advantage of the opening the Earth Blade had created and unleashed Quantum Judgement on the soldiers, knocking them out.

Frank gritted his teeth as he blocked a soldier's weapon with his nodachi before Jin launched a blast of ice, forcing the Tantalese back. They weren't making much progress towards the accelerator to shut it off.

"This isn't working!" Jin exclaimed.

Jason, who was currently locking swords with another soldier, cried out, "We have to hurry! We're running out of time!"

True to the prince's word, the ether accelerator was almost fully charged. Meg parried one blow with her whipswords while Brighid and Aegaeon watched her back.

"Forgive me." Eulogimenos raised his hand, signaling his men to fire the accelerator.

"Damn it!" Frank exclaimed. "Pyra!" Before he could do anything, he blocked another soldier's attacks with his sword.

"I won't let you!" Jason shouted as he jumped high into the air, blue lightning crackling out of his sword. He ran his weapon through the ether accelerator's top. Blue lightning clashed against the ether in the machine, but it didn't shut down. "It's not enough!"

Ethan, who had switched to his mech arms, turned to Poppi and said, "Poppi. Throw off of the accelerator's aim by lifting it from below!"

"Understood!" Poppi summoned a pair of spark-like wings before she took off flying towards the ether accelerator. Once she was below it, she began to push it up.

"Give it all you've got, Poppi!" Ethan encouraged.

The artificial Blade shouted as she pushed up against the machine with all her might. Somehow, she was able to lift the accelerator high enough, which almost knocked Jason off, so that it's laser beam narrowly missed hitting the Aegis. Instead the blast shot out of the castle, right through Genbu's head. After a few seconds, the accelerator lost all power, prompting Poppi to lower it back down.

"It missed!" Nia cheered.

"We did it!" Sonum added. "We stopped them!"

Eulogimenos only watched as his son jumped off the accelerator and used Stratespheric Thunder to free Pyra from her restraints. The Aegis promptly fell to the ground, but Frank quickly caught her in his arms. The others quickly gathered around the duo. Roc, Wulfric and Aegaeon also disappeared, seeing that they were no longer needed.

"Pyra!" Frank exclaimed in concern. The Aegis opened her eyes and lightly smiled, prompting her Driver to sigh in relief.

"Five hundred years…" Eulogimenos spoke up.

Frank helped Pyra to her feet before they, along with the others, turned to face the Tantalese king.

"For five hundred years, we Tantalese have concealed the Omega Fetter," the king repeated. "Do you know why? Our old homeland, Torna, was destroyed in the Aegis War. Our hero, Addam, also failed to return. You must understand, old Torna as a country was united around the Hero. But our ancestors, less so…" Eulogimenos then began telling the group what he told his son.

**Flashback- a few hours ago**

"What do you mean we're not a part of Addam's bloodline?" Jason demanded.

"Precisely," Eulogimenos confirmed. "In Torna, our family were just a cadet branch. We only gained our current position in the confusion of the war's aftermath."

"But then we're just a bunch of usurpers!"

"They were desperate times," Eulogimenos explained. "We had no choice. The nation must continue at all costs."

"Even if it meant claiming Addam's name?" Jason asked in disgust.

"With its guiding force gone, much blood was spilled in Torna. We did what had to be done to reunite it under the new banner of Tantal…"

**Present Day**

"Legends of the hero who saved the dimensions are deeply ingrained in people's hearts," Meg spoke up. "And you used them for your own political agenda? Have you no shame?"

"Even so," Eulogimenos replied. "All was done in the name of saving the dimensions from burning once more."

Jason lowered his head in shame. "Don't you dare try to sugarcoat it! Short story is, they saw an opportunity to gain influence, and they took it! Grr…"

"That is the way of this world," the king said.

"Mor Ardain could easily take a similar path," Brighid said.

Meg nodded in agreement. "Yes… We are in no position to condemn them outright."

"So did this Addam guy really never return?" Nia questioned.

"Indeed," Eulogimenos replied. "No one truly knows what happened to him after the Aegis War. Some say that he founded Fonsett Village in the Leftherian Archipelago. Others believe that he died shortly after sealing away the Aegis when he was returning home."

"He didn't just go missing," Pyra spoke up.

Everyone eyed the Aegis curiously.

"What did you say, Aegis?" Eulogimenos asked.

Pyra briefly lowered her head. "Addam… He had forseen everything. He knew what would happen to the people after the kingdom fell. But… he chose not to return."

"Addam left us of his own will?" Eulogimenos said in confusion. "But why?"

Pyra removed one of her earrings and held it out. Suddenly a hologram of a man, who Frank assumed to be Addam, appeared from it.

"Hear me, my scions," the recording said. "I am Addam Origo. This day I seal the Aegis away from the world, as well as the Paragon of Torna and the Jewel of the Empire. But this seal is not for eternity. In anticipation of the day humanity becomes worthy of the Aegis's power… I entrust her to posterity. She is our hope… When mankind matures and learns to live better lives… she, Jin and Brighid will answer your call and return to you. Trusting that day will come, I leave my final wish to you." The hologram then vanished, prompting Pyra to put her earring back on.

"Addam foresaw much confusion and hardship in the world ahead," Pyra continued. "And when I seemed unsure, he told me something. 'This is a trial…'"

**Flashback- 500 years ago**

Addam and Pyra were in some old ruins, alone.

"Is me sleeping a part of the trial?" Pyra asked.

Addam nodded in confirmation. "That's right. It is a trial for us humans, one we must overcome ourselves. If we cannot do that, then we do not deserve to live alongside you, or Jin, or Brighid."

**Present Day**

"Live alongside…" Eulogimenos said, trying to process what he learned.

"To be honest, I still don't fully understand what he meant by that," Pyra admitted. "Whether he simply meant the coexistence of humans and Blades, or something more…"

"Me and Brighid were sealed away to help protect the Aegis when she would awaken, along with a handful of Blades who volunteered," Jin revealed. "Even I don't know what all Addam hoped for mankind to achieve in the future."

"Regardless," Pyra continued. "Addam made a difficult choice. For the sake of everyone's survival…"

Suddenly the ground began shaking fiercely.

"What's happening?!" Ethan shouted.

"I didn't do it!" Mika exclaimed in fear.

A soldier hurried to the king and said, "Your Majesty!"

"What is this?" Eulogimenos asked.

"It's Genbu," the soldier explained. "It's broken free of our control and has started to dive into the clouds!"

"What? Are you certain?!"

Suddenly Pandoria clutched her Core Crystal in pain as she fell to her knees.

"Pandy! Are you all right?" Jason asked in concern as he knelt beside her.

"O-oh no," the Thunder Blade said.

"What's going on with her?" Kasandra questioned.

Jason slowly put the pieces together. "Could it be that blast…?!" He rose to his feet.

"Mind sharing with the rest of us?" Nia said.

The Tantalese prince faced his friends and said, "Tantal keeps Genbu under control using the Omega Fetter. But firing the ether accelerator must have created a counter-flow in Genbu's ether conduits, causing a critical overload."

"So Genbu's broken?" Mika asked.

"Oh no," Pandoria said. "My words can't reach him anymore. Genbu is just going to dive deeper and deeper. And then…"

"Father, you idiot!" Jason scolded. "This is what happens when you use antiquated parts!"

Frank held his chin with his right hand. "If I recall correctly, the Cloud Sea has a similar density to water. As we continue to dive deeper, the pressure will keep building."

Ethan nodded in agreement. "That's right. By 500 peds, a human would be crushed completely."

"And all that force will weigh down on Genbu?" Dromarch said.

Jason was silent for a moment before saying, "What's our depth right now?"

"Twenty-two hundred peds, Sire!" the soldier replied. "We are diving at a rate of 120 peds per minute."

"And Genbu's depth limit?"

"Twenty-five thousand, give or take…"

Jason folded his arms as he did the math in his head. "That'll give us… just over three hours."

"Wow, Sparky's good at math," Nia commented, sounding impressed, getting a death glare from the prince.

"Well he was one of the top students at Fonsett Academy," Frank admitted.

The ground began shaking again before stopping yet again.

"This isn't good." Jason turned towards his leader. "Frank. There's a pressure-resistant pod in the palace's southern tower. You guys should get in and escape."

"And leave you?" Meg nearly shouted. "No! I refuse to flee while you stay and risk your life!"

"We _all_ do!" Mika added. "Don't forget, we're a team! We stick together!"

"Yeah!" Kasandra agreed.

"There must be a way to save everyone!" Frank said.

"Only Pandoria can tell Genbu what to do," Jason said grimly. "If it won't budge for her, it's no use. Apart from that, all we can do is try to evacuate as many people as we can. But with just three hours…"

"Didn't you say earlier that you control Genbu using the Omega Fetter, right?" Pyra questioned.

Jason nodded in confirmation. "Uh, yeah."

"Where is it?"

"Inside Genbu's head. It's straight south from the palace, through Genbu's spinal column."

"I will go," Pyra declared.

"What?" Jason said in shock. "You'll go? Pyra, what are you-"

"The Omega Fetter was originally Ophion's control core," Pyra explained. "And Ophion is my Artifice. I can't be 100% sure, but I think I might be able to fix it."

"Pyra…" Frank said in disbelief.

"Are you serious, Pyra?" Ethan questioned. "They just tried to kill you a few minutes ago."

"That's a totally separate issue," Pyra chided. "Right, Frank?"

"What?" Frank said before scratching the back of his head. "Well, I guess so. I mean, I still haven't really forgiven the king for what he did, but I'm going to let innocent people die because of it." He then sighed. "Besides, we both know you'd just drag me there anyway, whether I want to or not."

Pyra giggled in amusement. "That's more Mythra's thing than mine. Anyway, that's why I want to help."

"Pyra," Ethan said in awe. "Alright. Then Poppi and I will go as well."

"We're in too," Sonum said. "Right Dromarch?"

"I would have it no other way," the tiger Blade replied with a nod.

"We're _all_ going," Meg clarified.

Nia folded her arms. "That's settled then." She faced the king. "Stay out of our way, old man! Got it?"

Eulogimenos was shocked. "You all would risk your lives for this?" he questioned. "For the sake of Tantal, even though we attempted to destroy the Aegis?"

"It's not about Tantal," Frank said simply.

"Then why?"

"You're a king, right? You ought to be able to figure it out."

"Frank, you are…"

The Aegis Driver turned towards the Tantalese prince. "Jason, how do we get to the Omega Fetter again?"

"I won't just tell you," Jason said. "I'll take you right to it! Just like Meg said, we're all going, _together_!"

"Jason…" Eulogimenos began.

"Save it, old man!" Jason scolded. "You better start evacuating the people! Though, with us on the case, your efforts are probably going to be wasted!"

The king was stunned. "…Understood."

Pyra then changed into Mythra. "Are we done here, yet?" the Aegis said impatiently. "We're wasting time just standing here! Let's get going!" She then grabbed Frank by his arm and started to drag him away.

"Seriously?!" Frank shouted in annoyance. "I already said I'd go! I can walk there on my own!"

"Well you walk too slow!" Mythra retorted back.

The Drivers and Blades burst out laughing, while the king looked confused.

"The boy was serious about the Aegis dragging him?" Eulogimenos asked.

"Yeah," Jin said with a smile. "It never gets old."

"Hey, Mythra…" Jason spoke up, causing the Aegis to halt.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Do you even know how to get to the Omega Fetter?"

"Uh…" Mythra stuttered nervously.

The Tantalese prince let out a deep breath. "I knew it. Just follow me. I'll lead the way."

The group then hurried out of the accelerator room and out of the castle. They had two-and-a-half hours left before Genbu will be crushed by the Cloud Sea.

**To be continued**


	28. Chapter 28: The Omega Fetter

**Chapter 28- The Omega Fetter**

Frank and his friends had exited the palace and arrived at the city plaza.

"It won't be easy to get to the Omega Fetter," Jason said. "Theosoir is positioned high above the Genbu Drifts. We'll need to go left and head to the Theospiti Temple ruins. There should be a path there that can take us down."

"We'll have to be careful there," Pandoria added. "Those ruins are crawling with monsters. Not to mention that the place is pretty unstable since its so old."

"I wouldn't worry about the monsters," Mythra said confidently. "With me around, they won't be a threat."

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you, Mythra," Jin said. "You won't be able to reliably use your Artifice here. Genbu's shell will block most of Siren's attacks, despite all the holes it has."

Mythra lowered her head as she realized the Ice Blade was right. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."

"That's just great," Ethan said sarcastically. "Our most powerful Blade can't use her strongest attacks here because we're inside a Titan! Looks like we won't be seeing any Sacred Arrows for a while."

Frank smirked as he folded his arms. "I wouldn't worry about that. I figured this would happen eventually." He glanced at the Aegis. "Looks like now's the perfect chance to try out _that _move."

Mythra returned the smirk. "I was wondering when you'd finally say that."

The Flamebringer raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you two talking about?"

"We'll explain on the way," Frank said. "Jason, lead the way!"

"You got it! Everyone, this way!"

Jason led his friends out of the city through the city rear gate. Along the way, the prince said that once they cross the Genbu Drifts, they'd reach the Great Pillar Passage, where the Omega Fetter was located. It wasn't long before the group was attacked by monsters. A pack of volffs encircled them as they drew their weapons. Frank had given Jin's sword back to him and was now using the Aegis Sword again.

"We don't have time for this!" Ethan exclaimed before tossing his saber to his Blade. "Poppi!"

"Roger. Roger. Poppi Unlimited." Spark-like wings sprouted from Poppi's back before she flew at the volffs. She cut half a dozen of them to ribbons with her saber before retreating back to her Driver.

"Brighid! Let's go!" Meg declared as she handed one of her whipswords to her Blade.

"As you wish, Lady Meg!" A gold aura surrounded the duo as they raised their swords in the air in sync before swinging them down, extending the whips. Blue fire encased the blades of their swords.

"Soulfire!" they shouted in sync before swinging their whipswords at the remaining monsters, wiping them all out at once. Brighid then returned her whipsword to her Driver as their golden aura faded.

The group continued their way towards the ruins. Eventually they crossed the bridge that led to the ruined temple.

"Now then," Jason said. "If I remember correctly, there should be a pathway we can take to get us to the bottom part of Genbu."

"Everyone, stay alert," Jin warned. "I sense a lot of strong monsters in the area."

"Oh please," Mika passed off. "What are the chances of them finding us?"

As if on que, a giant Arachno appeared in front of the group.

"You had to ask," Ethan said solemnly.

Frank groaned in frustration as he drew the Aegis Sword. "I swear, Mika. We really have to do something about your bad luck."

"Never mind that," Mythra said. "I'd say now's the time we try out that move."

"Speaking of which," Sonum spoke up. "What is this new move of yours?"

The Aegis simply smirked. "How about we just show you. Let's do this, Frank!"

Frank and Mythra charged at the Arachno. The monster lunged its leg at the duo, but Mythra deflected it with her defense barrier. The two locked eyes and nodded.

"Hadron Impact!" Frank and Mythra exclaimed in sync. The Blade Special began with Frank performing a series of slashes with the Aegis Sword before performing a downward slash, creating a small explosion of light which pushed the Arachno back. He then tossed the sword into the air, which Mythra caught by jumping in the air before doing a downward slash on the Arachno's head and following it up with a spinning slash. The monster died instantly, leaving the others speechless. The only ones who weren't stunned were Jin and Nia. Frank and Mythra, meanwhile, high-fived each other for their victory.

"No way…" Mika said in disbelief.

"What the hell was that?" Ethan questioned.

"You know how Sacred Arrow is powerful, but limited to outdoors?" Frank said, getting a nod from Ethan. "Well Mythra and I chose to develop a new attack that could be used anywhere. It took us a while, but we finally mastered it. The Hadron Impact."

"And you guys didn't use it in our previous battles because…?" Sonum asked.

Both Frank and Mythra looked a little embarrassed. "We kinda… forgot about it," Mythra said sheepishly.

"That sounds like you two, alright," Pandoria commented.

"Hey!" the duo protested.

The group then proceeded down to the Genbu Drifts. It was way more open than the top of Genbu. Snow and rocks were as far as the eye could see. After a long march across the snow, the group finally reached the entrance to the Great Pillar Passage.

Brighid then noticed her Driver having a concerned look on her face. "Lady Meg, you're making that face again. If you keep frowning like that, you'll get wrinkles."

"I just don't get it," Meg said, while folding her arms. "Tantal was founded by the counter-Addamites. Then, after the war, they closed themselves off. But with the way the king was acting, I can't help but feel there's something more to it."

"What though?" Nia asked.

"It was the Praetorium who sent us here on this mission," Meg explained. "Why would King Eulogimenos go to such lengths to reject it? It seemed almost like he wanted to cut ties with them."

"You think Indol is holding something else over Tantal?" Brighid guessed.

"That is a possibility," Meg admitted. "Jason, do you know anything useful?"

The Tantalese prince shook his head. "Nope. There aren't any records from back then."

"What about you, Brighid?"

"I don't recall anything in my journal about it," The Fire Blade said. "It must've happened after I was sealed away."

"Same goes for me," Jin added. "I don't remember any mention of Tantal from five hundred years ago."

"What about you, Azurda?" Frank asked.

"Hmm," the Titan said. "I think I was somewhere else at the time. And matters of human kingdoms and so on didn't really interest me much."

"Jeez Azurda," Frank replied in annoyance. "What's the point of having an old-timer like you around if you don't even know anything?"

"It's funny how much you sound like your mother when you talk like that."

"So Meg," Sonum said, "are you saying the king wasn't telling us everything?"

"That is a possibility," Brighid answered.

"Do you think it could be related to Zeke and his comrades?" Dromarch asked. "And why they go by the name, 'Torna'?"

Frank then recalled what Zeke told them on Temperantia.

_"If you had seen that state of humanity, you'd understand,"_ his father had said.

"That state of humanity," Frank muttered before speaking up. "Zeke mentioned something about a state of humanity. At first, I thought he was talking about about the Shadow War, but now I think he was talking about something more. A previous state of humanity…"

"And that is the key to why they fight?" Brighid questioned.

"Maybe. It's just a theory though."

"If… If that is the case," Mythra said suddenly. "Then perhaps we shouldn't have sealed ourselves away after all…"

"I don't know if that would have made a difference," Jin replied. "Maybe it would have made things worse. Regardless, it's too late to change it. We'll just have to deal with it as it is."

The others agreed with the Ice Blade and continued through the ruins. After a few minutes, they found themselves at an old battlefield. Debris was scattered everywhere, and craters covered the area. The walls and floors looked melted, which looked similar to the after-affects of Siren's particle beams.

"What is this place?" Ethan questioned.

"A battleground from the Aegis War," Azurda said solemnly. "There are many things here that I remember."

Nia examined the area and said, "Must have been one hell of a battle. There's hardly anything that's still standing."

"Siren and Ophion aren't the only Artifices," Mythra explained. "Most of you here have seen Siren, the Artifice I command, and we fought one back on Earth. But during the war, there were countless Artifices, wielded by Malos."

"So this is where people fought against him," Frank said. "Were you here, Mythra?"

The Aegis shook her head. "No. I was awakened after this battle had happened. Malos did have his own Siren as well, but it was destroyed during our final battle."

"Seriously?" Frank questioned. "I guess that makes sense though. And it does explain all the destruction that happened during the Aegis War."

"So what are these Artifices, anyway?" Sonum asked. "We fought one on Earth, met Siren, but we haven't seen Ophion at all."

"Technically Mika, Kasandra, Pandoria and I _haven't_ met Siren yet," Jason corrected. "But we have seen those light lasers it fires."

Mythra looked up at the sky and said, "They're a power granted to the Aegises. Divine swords sleeping in Elysium, far above us all."

Nia looked confused. "Hold on. I thought Elysium was a paradise, not a weapon stash?"

"That doesn't add up," Frank said. "Azurda, I thought you said that humans made the Artifices _during_ the Aegis War."

The Titan simply shrugged. "Well, to be honest, any information involving the Artifices is very hazy at best. Some say that they were built by humans, others believe that they were created by the Architect himself. I only told you what I thought was true at the time."

Mythra had a guilty look on her face. "I wish I could give you guys an answer, but I don't have one. I'm sorry."

"Wow," Pandoria commented. "Mythra can actually feel remorse. Never thought I'd see the day."

The Aegis glared daggers at the Thunder Blade, causing the latter to yelp with fear. "Watch it!" she said threateningly.

Frank snickered in amusement before putting on a serious face. "What do you mean you don't know? Don't you have any memories of being in Elysium?"

"The only memories I have are distorted fragments," Mythra explained. "I remember a townscape, and that Father created me and the Artifices. But I don't know why, though. That's what I want to find out…"

"Mythra," Nia muttered under her breath.

"I guess we'll find out once we get there," Frank said. "Anyway, the Omega Fetter should be up ahead. Once Genbu and Tantal are no longer in danger, we'll take the Omega Fetter and head for the World Tree."

The group went across the battlefield before finding a staircase leading to a small open area with a building. There was an open ceiling, but the Cloud Sea wasn't pouring through it.

"Finally," Jason remarked. "We've reached Genbu's head, and just in time too. That building contains the Omega Fetter. Let's hurry and save my homeland!"

They hurried inside the building, which Pandoria opened, where they found a hovering golden sphere floating in the center. Jason put his hand over a panel that had the emblem of Tantal. The emblem began glowing blue before the sphere to opened up and revealed a glowing red crystal inside it. Volatile energy randomly sparked out, forcing the group to keep their distance. It reminded the Drivers of a Core Crystal.

"Is that it?" Frank asked curiously.

Mythra nodded in confirmation. "Yep. The Omega Fetter, and Ophion's control core. It was originally a conduit that I used to communicate with Ophion." The ground began shaking. "I'll hurry and try to repair it, but I can't be interrupted. A single misstep could cause it to malfunction and we won't be able to use it."

"Very well," Meg said. "Good luck, Mythra."

The Aegis began working on fixing the Omega Fetter. In the meantime, Frank and the others examined the building and its interior.

"This place is much older than the palace," Mika commented.

"Indeed," Dromarch agreed. "It seems to be immune to the ravages of time. Sir Jin, is this Tornan architecture?"

The Paragon of Torna nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Tantal was founded by the surviving Tornans. It makes sense that some of Torna's architecture was incorporated into it."

"Done," Mythra said suddenly. The Omega Fetter radiated a blue light before changing into an aqua-blue cube, which floated into the Aegis's hand.

"Great job, Mythra," Frank praised.

"Pandoria! Try it now!" Jason ordered.

The Thunder Blade nodded. "I'm on it." Pandoria closed her eyes and brought her right hand to her Core Crystal. Soon the ground stopped shaking.

"Well?" Poppi asked.

Pandoria opened her eyes and lowered her hand. "It worked! I told Genbu to resurface and to resume circling the World Tree."

Mika sighed in relief as he sat on the ground. "Phew. We made it in time. Let's not cut it so close again. I'd rather not be flattened like an Argentum Monkfish."

"Ditto," Ethan added.

Mythra gave the Omega Fetter to her Driver, who subsequently put it in his coat. "Now that Tantal's no longer in danger and we've got the Omega Fetter, we can go to the World Tree," Frank said. "It seems our long journey is reaching its end. I'm actually a little sad about it."

Jason cleared his throat. "Before we head for the World Tree, we should probably go report to my father and tell him that everything's okay. He may be stubborn and a liar, but he does care about his people."

The group exited the building, where they were greeted by a familiar voice.

"So it was hidden all the way out here," Akhos said as he, Patroka and Mikhail revealed themselves to the group. "No wonder why we couldn't find it. I'd just be wondering whether it was time to make an exit… Thanks for saving me the trouble."

"Akhos!" Frank called out in anger. "Patroka! Mikhail!"

Mikail sneered in amusement. "I'm impressed you remember our names, boy. Give us the Omega Fetter and the Aegis, and we'll leave you alone."

"Not gonna happen!"

"Then we'll just take them by force," Patroka said. "The Goddess of the Praetorium isn't around to save you this time."

Jin glared fiercely at the blonde-haired Torna member. "Mikhail! Why are you on Malos's side?! You're one of the few people who's seen the horrors he's caused!"

Frank stared at the Ice Blade in confusion. "What are you talking about, Jin? Are you saying that Mikhail was there during the Aegis War?"

"But that's impossible!" Ethan declared. "The Aegis War was five hundred years ago! He should be dead!"

Mikhail simply smirked. "Well, well, Jin," he said. "It seems you finally remembered me. It'll make this harder, but it has to be done. My reasons for siding with Zeke and Malos are my own. They're not your concern."

"Mikhail," Jin said in frustration.

"Where are Zeke and Malos, anyway?" Mythra questioned. "There are a few things I need to ask them."

Akhos scoffed. "Honestly, I don't think they've got much interest in what you have to say, Aegis," he jeered.

"You sure about that?"

"Quite sure, yes."

Jason then cleared his throat and got the Torna members' attention. "I hate to interrupt the verbal sparring," he said. "But how do you plan to take us on without your Blades? We're not the same pushovers you met on Earth."

Surprisingly, Akhos looked very confident. "Oh, we're very aware of that." Akhos adjusted his glasses. "We just don't need them, you see."

The Thunderbolt seemed confused. "What? Explain yourself!"

Akhos revealed a red crystal in his hand before it morphed into a bow, the same bow he had back in Temperantia. A red-and-blue Core Crystal then appeared on Akhos's chest.

Frank gasped in shock. "That bow…!"

Patroka then pulled out a red crystal while Mikhail brought out a blue one. The red crystal quickly changed into a silver naginata with a blue energy blade and a purple crystal near the shaft, while the blue crystal morphed into twin fan-blades with blue energy blades. A red-and-blue Core Crystal appeared on Patroka's chest, while a blue Core Crystal appeared on Mikhail's.

"Core Crystals?!" Mika shouted in disbelief.

"They're Blades?!" Sonum added.

Meg shook her head. "No," the Flamebringer said gravely. "They're worse. Flesh Eaters!"

"Bravo!" Akhos bowed in feigned respect. "Very impressive, Flamebringer. We've had many an interruption in the past, but here, that seems less likely. So let's go all out!"

The group then drew their weapons and got into fighting stances.

"You can try, but I assure you," Nia said, "we won't go down easy."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Akhos and his comrades then got into fighting stances. "Like I said, all out."

Silence filled the Genbu Crown before both groups advanced on the other.

**To be continued**


	29. Chapter 29: Torna's True Power

**Chapter 29- Torna's True Power**

Frank and Jin clashed with Mikhail. Meg, Sonum, Jason battled Patroka, while Ethan, Nia, and Mika fought Mikhail. Their Blades, meanwhile, were supplying power to their Driver's weapons.

Mikhail was much more agile than before, easily evading attacks from both opponents. Jin held the Torna member's attention while Frank used Double Spinning Edge on Mikhail's side, forcing him back a little.

"Not bad, Frank," Mikhail commented. "You're definitely Zeke's son. But that's not going to save you."

The Aegis Driver glared at the Torna member in disdain. "I don't care," Frank said bitterly. "I'm not letting you take Mythra or the Omega Fetter!"

Mikail simply smirked. "Then by all means, prove it!"

Both opponents charged at each other, sparks dancing as their weapons clashed. Jin fired a barrage of icicles at Mikhail, who was barely able to block it with his Infinity Fanblades.

Meanwhile, Meg, Sonum, and Jason were on equal ground with Patroka. The Flamebringer held the Torna member's attention while Sonum and Jason attacked from the sides. Patroka was just as strong as their previous encounter, though her range was more limited. She also had a nasty habit of temporarily altering the weather to make it hard for the group to do Blade Combos.

After pushing Patroka back, Meg tossed her whipswords to Brighid, who then unleashed Heat Haze, which sent a blast of blue fire at Patroka, before returning the swords to her Driver.

Sonum then had Dromarch unleash Aqua Wave, which was a wave of ether that struck Patroka head-on.

"Lucky shot," Patroka said arrogantly. "But you'll have to do better than that!"

"We'll see about that!" Jason declared. "Dynamic Spark Sword!" Blue lightning encased his sword as he performed three slashes on the Torna member. Patroka blocked all of them, but the third attack forced her to her knees as she struggled to overpower the Thunderbolt.

"Now Meg!" Jason exclaimed.

The Flamebringer nodded as a gold aura radiated from her and Brighid. "Let's finish this," Meg said as she handed one of her whipswords to Brighid.

The duo stood shoulder to shoulder, as they raised their swords in sync. Blue flames encased the blades, before swinging them down to extend the whips. "Soulfire!" Meg and Brighid cried out as they swung their whipswords at Patroka and Jason, sending blue flames their way.

The Thunderbolt was able to jump out of the way in time, but Patroka was hit with the full brunt of the attack. An explosion of blue flames consumed her. When the flames died down, Patroka was back on her feet, but she looked worse for wear. A red orb orbited her.

"She's tougher than she looks," Meg said as the gold aura around her and Brighid faded.

"Is this the power of a Flesh Eater?" the Fire Blade questioned.

Patroka growled with rage. "I'll kill you all! Human scum!" Patroka charged at the Flamebringer, when suddenly Sonum destroyed the red orb with Jaguar Slash. The orb exploded with red ether, forcing everyone away.

Meanwhile, Akhos wasn't having much luck with his opponents. Mika and Kasandra kept him distracted while Ethan and Nia kept flanking him.

"Tch," Akhos grunted as he blocked Mika's hammer with his bow. "You're more resilient than I thought." He then forced the Chaosbringer back. "But that doesn't matter! You won't win!"

Akhos fired a lightning arrow at Ethan, which Poppi blocked with her defense barrier. Ethan then countered with Soaring Tempest, a spinning jump attack, striking the Torna member in the chest. Mika quickly followed it up with Vasjra Blow, which had him swing his hammer down on Akhos.

While the Torna member was pinned down, Ethan tossed his saber to Poppi, who promptly unleashed Noponic Axion. The beam hit Akhos right in the chest, forcing him back to his comrades. All three of them looked worn out, while the Drivers were fine.

"Impossible!" Akhos exclaimed. "How could we…"

"These rats…" Patroka shouted as she held herself up with her naginata.

"We did warn you!" Jason said as he brought his sword to his shoulders. "You mess with us, and that's what you get! Now then, let's finish this!" The Thunderbolt readied his sword to attack.

"Let's take them in for interrogation," Meg suggested. "It's time to get some answers!"

Suddenly Zeke appeared behind Jason and attempted to slash at his side, but the Tantalese prince barely managed to move out of the way in time, only getting a minor cut. However, Jason did fall to one knee, using his sword for support as he clutched his wound.

"It seems they don't call you 'The Thunderbolt' for nothing," Zeke commented. "That's the first time I missed a vital point."

"Father," Frank said bitterly. "I should've known you'd be here."

"How did he do that?" Nia asked.

Jason growled with rage. "You bastard!" The Thunderbolt rose to his feet and tried to attack the Torna leader, but Zeke used his impossible speed to evade and retreated to his comrades. Jason ended up falling into Meg's arms.

"Jason!" Meg exclaimed in worry.

"Don't worry," Jason passed off as he cracked a fake smile. "It's just a scratch."

Nonetheless, Nia and Sonum hurried over and began using Healing Arts to heal Jason's wound. Meanwhile, the other Drivers stared down at the new arrival.

"Zeke, are you okay?" Akhos asked in concern.

"Relax," said a new voice. "He's not made of glass."

Everyone turned and saw Malos leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.

"Malos!" Mythra said in frustration.

"Don't mind me. I'm just a spectator. Zeke, on the other hand, insisted on coming here to settle a score."

"What are you talking about?" Frank questioned.

"You will give me both the Omega Fetter and the Aegis," Zeke declared. "Do this, and I will grant you a swift death."

The Aegis Driver glared at his father. "You can try, but we won't let you! I know you're strong, but you're not getting Mythra!"

Zeke merely scoffed in annoyance. "I would be worried if Marth was the one who said that. After all, his power rivals that of the Aegis's. Unfortunately for you, _son,_ while your power is strong, it pales before that of the Dark Swordsman's. You can't beat me."

"What?" Frank said in disbelief before collecting himself. "I don't care! I won't back down!"

"Then by all means," Zeke goaded. "Prove me wrong with your strength!"

Black mist surrounded Zeke as his Core Crystal glowed red. His outfit changed into black armor with purple highlights. Metallic-like wings appeared on his back. He also had a dark aura around him. Meanwhile, Genbu had reached the surface of the Cloud Sea. A moonlit sky shone above the Genbu Crown.

"Is that… Zeke's true form?" Jin questioned.

"I can feel the enormous energy from here," Poppi said. "But there's no change to the ether energies in the immediate area. It's coming from Zeke's body!"

"How is that possible?" Kasandra said in confusion. "Where does he even keep all that power? It's almost like… literal darkness."

Mika tightened his grip on his hammer. "I bet its all the rage energy he keeps contained. It's all come pouring out."

Frank didn't look convinced. "I don't think so," he said. "This feels different…"

A powerful gust of black wind was unleashed from Zeke's body, right towards the Drivers and Blades.

"Watch out!" Meg warned as she readied her whipswords. "Here he comes!"

The Blade Eater charged at the group with impossible speed. Frank and the others were barely able to avoid Zeke's attacks, before surrounding him.

"Give up!" Ethan demanded. "You're outnumbered, Zeke. You can't possibly beat us all!"

"Can't I?" Zeke questioned. "Empty Moment!" Zeke disappeared in a flash before reappearing where he stood. All the Drivers, as well as Jin and Nia, then found themselves knocked off their feet and covered with injuries.

"How did he do that?!" Kasandra exclaimed as she helped Mika up. The others soon followed.

Jin gritted his teeth in frustration. "Zeke's not messing around. His strength is much greater than last time."

"Dad was one of the strongest warriors in the Allied Forces," Frank said. "There wasn't anything that could stand up to him. I just can't believe we're on opposite sides."

Zeke then locked swords with his son, with both swordsmen trying to overpower the other. "You're still hung up by that? You need to fight me for real, or this will be a short fight."

Frank growled in frustration. "Don't you think I know that?! Meg! Jason!"

The Torna leader looked over his shoulder and saw the Flamebringer and Thunderbolt launch a fused blue-fire and blue-lightning attack at him. Zeke quickly moved to dodge it, but soon found himself hit by Jin's icicles.

"Clever move," Zeke remarked as he eyed the Paragon of Torna. "You had your friends distract me, so you could attack me while I was vulnerable. However, it is also very predictable."

"It's called tactics," Jin retorted. "Besides, you're not the only one here who can move at high speeds."

"We'll see."

Jin advanced on the Torna leader and activated Chillstroke. The Art began with Jin stabbing Zeke's chest with his nodachi before following it up with a diagonal slash across the chest. Zeke managed to parry the first attack but was unable to stop the second. The injury also forced him to back up a little.

Mika and Kasandra then unleashed Melancholic Break. The Special began with Mika striking Zeke multiple times with his hammer before throwing it to Kasandra, which she subsequently caught.

"Time to make sure luck is on our side," Kasandra said as she put her mask on her face. A dark aura surrounded her as she shot a dark energy blast from her hammer at the Torna leader, injuring him and also forcing him back more. She then returned her mask to the back of her head and gave her hammer back to Mika.

"Sonic Thunderslash!" Suddenly Jason's body was surrounded by lightning before he and Pandoria ran at Zeke at supersonic speed, leaving a trail of electricity behind. Using that speed, Jason swung his sword at Zeke, which the Torna leader was able to block with his own, before skidding to a halt by his teammates with Pandoria.

"No way!" Pandoria protested. "How did he block that?!"

The Thunderbolt gripped his sword tightly. "I don't know. But I've got a bad feeling about this."

As if to prove his point, Zeke exclaimed, "I've had enough!"

Zeke charged at the group and attacked everyone, except Frank and Mythra, at impossible speed. They cried out in pain as they fell to the ground.

"What?" Frank asked in confusion as Zeke reappeared in front of him.

Zeke then charged at his son with the same speed. Mythra activated Foresight, allowing her and Frank to see that Zeke would attack from the front. When the Torna leader appeared in front of the Aegis Driver, Frank swung his sword at him, but Zeke disappeared again and reappeared behind the Driver. Frank was barely able to avoid Zeke's first attack and tried desperately to block his other attacks. Unfortunately, Zeke was too fast, and struck his son in the chest, causing Frank to cry out in pain before falling to the ground. Mythra followed suit as her Driver's injuries were reflected onto her. They both struggled to get back up.

"With wounds like that, they're done for," Malos commented. "It's their biggest weakness."

Zeke watched as his son slowly tried to get up. "Your struggle is pointless," Zeke said emotionlessly. "When I became a Blade Eater, it gave me the ability to control the velocity of elementary particles."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Frank asked rudely.

Zeke chuckled in amusement. "This allows me to accelerate my body to the speed of light. No matter how far ahead you can predict, your movements themselves are limited. Even someone as fast as Marth would struggle just to keep up with me."

Frank gritted his in frustration. "Mythra!" he called out.

"I'm still here," Mythra replied. "Frank, we have to slow him down." She and her Driver slowly rose to their feet. "Match light speed… with light speed." Mythra's Core Crystal and tiara began glowing with green light as she prepared to summon the power of her Artifice, Siren.

"Got it," Frank said simply. A golden aura radiated from his and Mythra's bodies. "Let's go!"

The green crystal in the Aegis Sword began glowing brightly. Frank charged at Zeke while Mythra jumped back. Frank then jumped high in the air before firing a blast of light at his father from his sword. Zeke quickly deflected it and saw Mythra raise her hand skyward. The Aegis then immediately swung her hand, prompting a particle beam to fire down on Zeke, seemingly consuming him in an explosion of golden light.

Everyone shielded their eyes as a strong gust of wind created from the blast stirred up the snow. Mythra landed right behind her Driver as the wind died down. When the snow cleared, the duo was shocked as they saw that Zeke had intercepted Siren's attack with his sword.

"Impossible," Mythra said in disbelief.

"Didn't I tell you?" Zeke questioned. "I can manipulate the velocity of elementary particles around me. The Aegis's attacks are nothing but a stream of particle energy. The particles that form it are too heavy to truly reach light speed." With a single swing of his sword, Zeke destroyed the particle beam. Black mist began to envelop the Blade Eater. "The result is obvious."

"No way," Frank said, still in shock. "Mythra's attack didn't do anything."

Mythra looked ticked off. "Zeke," she said bitterly.

Zeke then got into a fighting stance. "It's over, Frank. Eat this!" Zeke charged at the Aegis Driver at light speed. Mythra tried to stop him with her defense barrier, but Zeke destroyed it easily, knocking the duo back. Zeke then performed a series of light-speed slashes on both Frank and Mythra, severely injuring them both. The Aegis Sword was shattered and Mythra reverted back to Pyra as they collapsed in the snow. Azurda fell out of Frank's hood but stayed near the Aegis Driver.

"Frank!" Nia exclaimed with worry. "Pyra!"

"You bastard!" Jin said with anger. He and Nia hurried towards their downed friends but were intercepted by Akhos, Patroka and Mikhail. Suddenly Jin sensed danger and narrowly avoided a Blade Bot from pinning him to the ground. Nia and the others weren't so lucky as multiple Blade Bots restrained them. Even Meg, Brighid, Jason and Pandoria were trapped after putting up a good fight. Only Frank and Pyra weren't restrained, but they were too injured to do anything.

"What?" Jin said in confusion. He soon found himself surrounded by Blade Bots. No matter how many he cut down, more just took their place. Jin was quickly overwhelmed and restrained by the Blade Bots.

"These robots," Ethan said in realization. "They're the same ones Malos and Akhos used to attack our school. They're artificial Blades!"

"So that's what you were doing at Bana's factory," Meg said. The Flamebringer summoned an aura of blue flames. "But you won't win… so easily!"

Meg was able to break free from the Blade Bots and charged at Mikhail. Unfortunately, Mikhail overpowered her and knocked her whipswords away before holding her by the neck.

"Lady Meg!" Brighid exclaimed.

"Let her go!" Jason demanded as he struggled to break free from the Blade Bots holding him, but to no avail.

"S-stop this," Frank struggled before he was pinned down by Zeke's boot.

"I'm surprised your still breathing," Zeke remarked as he pointed the tip of his sword to his son's back. "Relax, son. You can rest after I've pried that Core Crystal from your chest."

Frank clenched his fists in defiance. "I… I won't die here," he said in a strained voice. "I will reach… Elysium. I want to… find the answers… we're all looking for."

Mikhail looked over his shoulder in confusion.

"What answers?" Zeke questioned. "In this world, there are no answers. This is the end for you, Frank. No one is coming to save you. Much less Marth!"

"E-enough," Pyra said as she slowly rose up. "I'm the one you want, isn't that right?"

Both Zeke and Malos eyed the Aegis curiously.

Pyra clutched her right arm and slouched as she was barely able to remain standing. "Leave them… out of this."

Mikhail tossed Meg to the ground, who was then restrained by more Blade Bots, and faced the Aegis. "How touching," Mikhail said theatrically. "Are you going to beg for their lives?"

"No mockery, Mik," Malos warned. "This is serious business."

"Put the sword away, Zeke," Pyra demanded. "If you don't… I'll…"

"You'll do what?" Zeke challenged.

"I will… annihilate myself."

"What?!" Nia exclaimed.

Everyone else was shocked, except Malos, who looked amused.

"You need me alive, don't you, Malos?" Pyra asked as she faced her fellow Aegis.

Malos looked unfazed by the question. "Hah. You worked that much out, did you? Well done." He lowered his arms and began walking towards Pyra. "But how would you make good on that threat? You don't have that kind of…"

"Are you sure about that, Malos?" Pyra said. A pillar of red light then appeared around her as her Core Crystal and the gem in her tiara began glowing orange.

Malos stopped his advance as he gazed in awe. "This is a shock," he said. "I didn't think you had it in you."

"What's going on?" Akhos demanded.

"She's controlling Mythra's Artifice herself," Malos explained. "And through sheer willpower at that."

"No way," Akhos said in disbelief. "Pyra's controlling Siren through willpower? I didn't predict that."

Zeke was the only one that was unfazed. "Go ahead," Zeke challenged. "I'll deflect it with my powers, just like before."

"You could do that, if I used the particle cannon itself," Pyra mused. "But this the targeting ray. It moves at the speed of light. And if I turn up the output just a little, that light alone has enough power to annihilate a single Blade." Pyra unconsciously clenched her fists.

"You," Zeke said.

"One signal from me, and my body will be scoured from this world," Pyra continued. "Faster than you can blink. So Zeke…"

The Blade Eater could tell from her tone that the red-haired Aegis wasn't bluffing. "How unexpected," he said finally. "That you, an Aegis, would say something like that. So you'll do it? Will you open the gates to Elysium for us?"

Pyra slowly nodded. "Yes. If that is your wish."

"Don't do it, Pyra!" Frank exclaimed. "They'll just-" Zeke silenced the Aegis Driver by stomping his foot on him.

"Zeke!" Pyra warned. The targeting ray grew smaller as it increased in intensity. Part's of Pyra's armor began falling apart as it was consumed in orange light.

The Torna leader stared at the female Aegis intently before pulling back his sword. "Very well," Zeke said as he stepped away from Frank.

The targeting ray around Pyra then disappeared, and her Core Crystal and tiara stopped glowing. Her armor was quickly repaired as well. Pyra slowly moved towards her Driver.

"Pyra, no!" Jin called out as he struggled to break free from the Blade Bots' grasp.

The Aegis gave the Paragon of Torna a light smile. "Jin," Pyra said. "Look after Frank for me."

Jin gritted his teeth in frustration, before relenting with a nod. "I will," he said solemnly.

Pyra knelt beside Frank and took the Omega Fetter from his coat. "I'm really sorry, Frank," Pyra said, her eyes filled with grief.

"No," Frank said weakly. "Pyra…"

The red-haired Aegis stood back up and approached Zeke. Pyra's eyes glanced over at a far corner of Genbu Crown, where she saw something move in the shadows. She then said something silently before losing consciousness and fell into Zeke's arms.

"Pyra!" Frank exclaimed in worry.

"Look at the state of you," Zeke said coldly. "Did you even notice? Your own Blade has been wounded so deeply, and all you can think of is yourself." Zeke sheathed his sword.

Frank struggled to come up with a reply and gripped the boken Aegis Sword's hilt tightly.

"You awakened the Aegis and are a Twilight Remnant," Zeke continued. "I thought that you would be different. But you're just a fool. A pitiful, weak, fool."

The Aegis Driver could only watch as Zeke disappeared with Pyra in a black mist. Malos, the other Torna members, and the Blade Bots left as well, leaving the wounded Drivers and Blades behind.

"Please tell me that didn't just happen," Mika begged.

"It did," Sonum said gravely. "They took Pyra."

Everyone watched as Frank punched the ground in frustration. "No… No!" Frank exclaimed. "Not again! I couldn't stop him! I couldn't do anything! I shouldn't have become an Aegis Driver. It should've been Marth, not me. He could've stopped Zeke. I'm just… too weak."

"Frank," Azurda said.

The Aegis Driver then felt weak from his injuries and passed out on the snow. His friends hurried to him and began the long trek back to Theosoir. Unbeknownst to them, right where Pyra had looked, a black wolf with white markings had watched the entire battle from the shadows. The wolf watched silently as the group left before disappearing in the darkness.

**To be continued**


	30. Chapter 30: Aftermath

**Chapter 30- Aftermath**

**Indol**

Amalthus stared out into the sunset, memories of old resurfacing.

**Flashback- 500 years ago**

Amalthus was in his quarters. He had just resonated with Malos's Core Crystal, which looked identical to Mythra's except it was a dark purple color instead of green. Amalthus was knocked into his dresser and watched in awe as darkness emerged from the Core Crystal, before revealing Malos, his Core Crystal firmly seen on his chest. Malos slowly opened his eyes and gazed upon his Driver for the first time.

**Present Day**

The Praetor was brought out of his thoughts when he heard one of the monks speaking to him.

"Praetor Amalthus," the monk said solemnly. "I have a report regarding the situation with the Aegis in Tantal."

"Very well," the Praetor replied. "What happened?" The monk then told Amalthus what occurred on Tantal. After the monk was finished, Amalthus looked a little disappointed. "So Zeke finally has his hands on the Aegis. It seems the boy wasn't good for much after all. A pity. I had high hopes for him after learning what his counterpart, Marth, was capable of. However, it seems like they were never meant to be equals."

"What should we do, Your Eminence?" the monk asked.

"Prepare the ceremony, Hector. It is time to finish this."

The monk, now named Hector, then led the Praetor out of the room. Unbeknownst to them, Klaus was out on the balcony, having overheard their conversation.

"So Amalthus is finally making his move," Klaus said to himself. "This isn't good. Frank and his friends aren't strong enough to deal with both Zeke and Amalthus. They'll need some help from the Dark Swordsman." He then pulled out a silver Aegis core from his pocket, which was gleaming. "The question is, will Marth accept his true nature to save his friends? How much will he sacrifice to do it?"

**Tantal**

Frank and his friends were recuperating at an inn in Theosoir. Nia, Sonum and Dromarch had managed to heal everyone's injuries, but Frank had yet to awaken. They were all worried about the Aegis Driver, despite Nia saying that he was alright.

It was around evening on the second day when Frank finally woke up. He found himself in a bedroom at the inn. "What…?" he muttered to himself. "How did I…?" Frank then felt something by his hand. He turned his head and saw the broken hilt of the Aegis Sword, its crystal having gone dark.

Frank picked up the hilt and stared at it as he remembered his fight with Zeke and Torna, and Pyra's capture. "Pyra… Mythra… Why?" A single tear fell down his cheek and landed on the broken Aegis Sword. "It's all my fault," Frank said slowly. "If I wasn't your Driver, this wouldn't have happened."

Meanwhile, Jin and the others were gathered in the inn's mess hall. They were all silent.

"Is Frank going to wake up anytime soon?" Mika questioned finally.

"His injuries were pretty severe," Nia said. "Sonum and I may have patched him up, but it'll take time for his body to recover."

"I'm still trying to come to terms with what happened at Genbu Crown," Ethan said. "I can't believe Pyra gave herself up to those guys."

Jin was about to reply before he saw Frank exit his room. "Frank, you're up." The Paragon of Torna looked relieved, but it was quickly replaced with concern as he noticed that his Driver had packed a bag. "What's that for?"

"I'm going back to Earth," Frank revealed in a solemn tone, shocking everyone.

"What?!" Mika shouted. "Why?!"

"Yeah!" Kasandra added. "Torna's not there! They're here in Alrest! What's the point in you going back to Earth?"

Frank lowered his head in shame. "I'm leaving because I can't do this anymore. I can't keep pretending to be some hero any longer."

"What are you talking about?" Ethan questioned. "What about Pyra and Mythra?! Are you just gonna leave them with Torna?!"

Hurt filled the Aegis Driver's eyes. "There's nothing I can do! You all saw what happened back there! I couldn't do anything against Zeke, my own father! Not even the Artifice could stop him!

"When I became the Driver of the Aegis, her Driver, I felt like I could anything," Frank continued. "That feeling only grew stronger when I met Marth and saw what he was capable of. I wanted to protect Mythra and Pyra, but all I did was hurt them. Klaus made a mistake sending them to me. He should've sent them to Marth. Even though Marth's in another world, at least they would've been safe from Torna."

Nia couldn't take it anymore and confronted the Aegis Driver. "Oh for crying out loud, Frank!" the Gormotti exclaimed. "She got herself caught to save you! And stop comparing yourself to Marth! You're not him! Sure, he may be stronger than you, but that doesn't mean he's more capable than you! He's got his strengths and you've got yours!"

"What strengths?" Frank retorted. "Marth can shoot lightning, fly, change his forms, he can even change into a freaking _dragon_! I'm nothing compared to him."

Nia growled in frustration. "You… bloody… idiot!" Nia shoved Frank into a couple barrels, catching the others off-guard. The Gormotti watched as the Aegis Driver slowly picked himself up. "Hurts, doesn't it?" Nia said as she grabbed Frank by his coat. "But that's nothing compared to what Pyra must be feeling right now! She went with those bastards knowing full well how much it would hurt! For our sake, not hers!"

"I know!" Frank replied. "But what do you expect me to do? Not even Siren could defeat Zeke! What chance do I have against that? The more I fight, the more Mythra and Pyra get hurt. She'll be… better off without me by her side."

Brighid gasped as she remembered Pyra saying the same thing. The Fire Blade stormed over to Frank and slapped him hard in the face.

"Do you actually mean that?" Brighid demanded. "Do you have the slightest idea how it felt for her to leave you?" Brighid told Frank what she overheard Pyra telling Corinne. "Pyra thought you'd be better off if she was dead, did you know that? She is planning to sacrifice herself to defeat them! You drove her to this, but here you are, giving up! You said you'd get Pyra and Mythra to Elysium, didn't you? You'll eat your words, just like that?"

Frank struggled to come up with a reply. "I… I…"

A beastly howl then echoed in the air. Suddenly a black wolf jumped in front of the Aegis Driver, before changing into a familiar blue-eyed Spriggan.

"Marth!" Frank exclaimed in shock as he saw his counterpart.

Everyone else was equally shocked.

"No way," Jason said in disbelief. "That's Marth? He really does look like Frank."

Frank couldn't bring himself to look the Dark Swordsman in the eye. "I'm… I'm sorry, Marth," he stuttered. "I failed. I couldn't protect Pyra and Mythra. She was…"

"I know," Marth interrupted. "I was there. I saw it happen."

"What?!" Sonum said. "Then why didn't you do anything? You could've stopped Zeke and his lot from taking Pyra!"

Marth lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, but even if I had revealed myself, nothing would've changed," the Spriggan said solemnly. "I knew that I could take on Zeke, even with his light speed, but it would have taken forever before we would wear each other down. And even then, his allies could just attack me while I was vulnerable. I also wouldn't have been able to use my dragon form there either because the area was too cramped. It was a losing battle from the start."

Jin looked at the Dark Swordsman in suspicion. The Paragon of Torna could tell that Marth wasn't telling the whole truth.

"How is this possible?" Meg questioned. "The rift between our worlds has closed. You shouldn't even be here."

Marth simply shrugged. "Beats me. I just had a bad feeling that something was wrong and found myself here," he said. "Anyway, that's not important right now." He turned his focus to Frank. "You need to snap out of your grief right now! So you got beat, so what? Everyone loses at some point, even me!"

"I find that hard to believe," Frank deadpanned.

Marth rolled his eyes. "I didn't say I lose often, but that's not the point. You can't just throw in the towel after one defeat. You need to pull yourself together and figure out a way to save Pyra!"

"Okay, but how do I do that? You saw what happened. Zeke's too strong!"

"Power depends on the heart of its wielder," Marth said inquisitively. "I can tell that you have the potential to do great things. Pyra and Mythra care deeply about you, just as you care for them. They've been by your side from the very beginning. Are you just going to abandon them when they need you the most?!"

Frank brought out on of the pictures they took back in Indol, the one that had Mythra in it. "You're right, Marth," he said slowly as he stared at the photo. "You all are. I've come a long way since I met Mythra and Pyra. I can't just give up now." He then locked eyes with the Spriggan with renewed determination. "Pyra gave herself up to save me, now I'm going to save her!"

Jin smirked. "Now that sounds like the Frank we know," the Ice Blade said. "Welcome back."

Marth nodded in agreement. "Want some advice?" Marth added, catching the Aegis Driver's attention. "Stop comparing yourself to me. Even though we're counterparts of each other, we each have our own unique strengths. There are things that I can do that you can't, but there are also things that you can do that I couldn't. Ever since we defeated Zeta, I kept thinking what Jarrod said. He said that Remnants weren't equal in power, but I don't think he told us the full story."

"What are you talking about?" Meg questioned.

"The reason I'm so strong is because I had to be in order to survive in SAO," Marth explained as he placed his hand on his waist. "I didn't have a lot of friends to rely on, except Kirito and Yuuki. I mostly fought on my own, not exactly a good quality. Frank, on the other hand, had all of you to support him from the very beginning. You guys are stronger together. Hell, if I fought all of you at once, I probably wouldn't win. Do you understand what I'm saying, Frank?"

Frank slowly nodded. "Yeah, somewhat," he admitted. "Basically, my power comes from the bonds I share with my friends, which is stronger than fighting alone. Is that right?"

"Sounds about right. Just remember to do what you feel is right." Marth then noticed silver light shining from his body. "Looks like my time here is up. Frank, I hope you're able to save Mythra and Pyra."

Frank couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Marth. You really came through for me."

"No problem," Marth said with a smile. "Just know that if you ever need the Alfheim Warriors, we'll be there to help. Goodbye." And with that, the Dark Swordsman disappeared in silver light, returning to his world once more.

"Well, that was unexpected," Azurda said after a few moments of silence.

Jin then eyed his Driver curiously. "Are you alright?"

The Aegis Driver nodded as he put the photo away. "I am now. Now let's go save Mythra and Pyra!"

"Yeah!" the others cheered.

Suddenly Pandoria, who was away at the time, stormed into the inn and whispered something in Jason's ear.

"Is something wrong?" Meg questioned.

Jason shook his head. "No. My father just wishes to speak with you, Frank. Let's head for the palace."

"All right."

The group began heading for the palace, wondering what King Eulogimenos wanted to talk about.

**To be continued**


	31. Chapter 31: The Third Aegis Sword

**Chapter 31- The Third Aegis Sword**

Frank and his friends made their way to the throne room, where they found King Eulogimenos and Fortis waiting for them.

"Are you alright to be up and about?" Eulogimenos asked sincerely.

"I am," Frank replied. "I'm all healed up thanks to Nia and Sonum."

"I wish to offer you my sincerest apologies," the king said. "Had we not tried to destroy the Aegis, then they would have never…"

"Don't worry about it," Frank interrupted. "My father and his group wouldn't have stopped coming for Pyra anyway. This isn't your fault, Your Majesty. It's mine."

There was a brief moment of silence before the Tantalese king broke it.

"Five hundred years ago, this kingdom was rent with twain," Eulogimenos explained. "Some followed Addam, who sought to live with Blades and Titans as equals. Others opposed him, preferring to consider humans as the masters and Titans as our tools. When Addam returned to the ether, his rivals seized power. Leveraging the power of the Omega Fetter, they declared themselves the Tantalese royal dynasty."

"And they claimed to be Addam's descendants," Jin added. "Even though it was a lie."

Eulogimenos nodded. "Precisely. My ancestors merely used the name of the beloved Addam in order to win over the people. Before long, we resolved to protect ourselves from meddlesome foreigners by descending deep into the Cloud Sea, taking the dirty secret of our family's lineage with us. The Praetorium, for their part, did not protest. Can you guess why?"

"Let me guess," Frank said. "They knew all along and chose to keep silent in exchange for something valuable."

"Correct," Eulogimenos replied. "That something is an annual tribute comprising of a fixed number of Core Chips. Core Chips are used to enhance a Blade's power, and since Indol controlled the distribution of all Core Crystals, they also wanted to control just how powerful Blades could become." He then paused. "I have something to show you."

A part of the wall opened up, revealing five large cylinders with ether flowing through them.

"What the heck is that?" Mika exclaimed.

"This is Genbu's ether flow," Eulogimenos explained. "The Titan draws in the fabric of the Cloud Sea and uses it as a source of energy. This energy flows throughout the Titan's body in the form of ether. Refining and crystallizing this ether creates Core Chips. This is the process you see before you."

Meg folded her arms and said, "So in other words, you're siphoning off a portion of the Titan's energy."

"Indeed. Our cold climate and poor harvests are the unfortunate side effects of this process."

"I think I'm beginning to understand," Dromarch said.

"Core Chips are vital to every nation's military and energy policies," Eulogimenos said. "The Praetorium desired this power."

"But why?" Nia asked.

"Alrest at the time was in crisis. But for the Praetorium, it was a precious chance to expand their sphere of influence."

"So they basically muscled in?" Nia guessed.

"As a result, Tantal fell into a chronic energy shortage," Eulogimenos continued. "Then, well, you saw for yourselves. Near-frozen earth. Failing crops. The Tantalese people were forced to live in abject poverty."

"Why didn't you just leave the Cloud Sea?" Sonum questioned. "Can't you have Genbu go someplace warmer."

"They feared contact with other nations," Meg replied. "They were too afraid it might expose the truth behind the legends they spun about Addam."

"Which explains their isolationism," Jin concluded.

Eulogimenos nodded in confirmation. "Indeed. That was five centuries ago. Now that the Aegis has awakened, the Praetorium is demanding we hand over the Omega Fetter. They are threatening to reveal our secret if we do not acquiesce."

Frank's eyes widened in surprise. "Indol is threatening you?!"

"I get it now," Jason said. "That's what was in that letter."

Eulogimenos clenched his fist. "Enough was enough. I couldn't stand by and let the Tantalese people suffer any longer. Therefore, I made a decision. I knew there was a chance that the Praetorium would use the Aegis against us. I believed that if I could neutralize her power, we could stand a chance of opposing them. And perhaps by saving my people from poverty, I could absolve the sins of my forefathers."

"You didn't think to use the Aegis's power yourself?" Nia asked.

Eulogimenos shook his head. "Wielding such power is beyond my means," he confessed. "I am under no illusions. However, does the same apply to you, Frank? I felt something. When I looked into your eyes, I knew. Perhaps you are the one to whom we can entrust the Aegis's power."

"Father," Jason said in disbelief.

"In the end, it seems I only made things worse," the Tantalese king said grimly. "I can blame nothing but my own judgement." Eulogimenos pulled out a book from his robe and showed it to the Drivers and Blades. "This tome records the deeds of the hero Addam. According to this, he saved the world from destruction using a white sword. And then he disappeared, along with a red sword."

"White and red," Frank said. His eyes widened as he realized what it meant. "Mythra and Pyra! Those are the colors of their swords!"

Eulogimenos nodded in agreement. "Whoever wrote this must have had a personal connection to Addam. And most curiously… After Addam disappeared, the author of this book went looking for something."

"Something?" Dromarch asked. "What was it?"

"The _third_ Aegis Sword."

Everyone gasped in shock.

"There's a third Aegis Sword?" Frank questioned.

"Apparently this sword was transparent as diamond, and gave off a clear, brilliant light. But Addam went his whole life without ever using the sword. In fact, he could not use it."

"What do you mean 'couldn't'?" Mika said.

"The sword was simply too powerful," King Eulogimenos explained. "Even he, the legendary hero, could not contain the power it commanded. And thus, fearing its power, he sealed it away somewhere. The author therefore surmised that this sword alone was the one true sword of the Aegis. Now, Frank, you were defeated by your father, Zeke. Though he is a powerful warrior and a Blade Eater, but can it be right for the Aegis herself to be outmatched by him? Would it not make more sense to presume that you lost because you have yet to unlock the true power of the Aegis?"

Frank paused to think for a moment. "Strangely, it does," he admitted. "But then that means that I've been holding them back all along." The Aegis Driver looked up at the Tantalese king with determination. "Your Majesty, where is that sword? We have to find it! We have to find it, and rescue Mythra and Pyra!"

"Regrettably, the book does not specify the sword's location," Eulogimenos revealed. "However, by reading between the lines it seems the author suspected that the sword lies somewhere in Leftheria. It's not much, but that's where I would begin the search."

"Leftheria, huh?" Frank said slowly.

"Are you ready, Frank?" Azurda questioned before flying out of Frank's hood and hovered in front of him.

"What are you talking about, Azurda?" Frank said in confusion.

"Are you ready to do what it takes to be their true Driver?" Azurda repeated.

Frank was silent for a moment before nodding. "Of course. I finally understand what Marth was trying to tell me. He got his strength by following his path. I must follow my own, not try to copy his. I'm ready to become the Driver that Mythra and Pyra deserve! And then, we're all going to Elysium, together!"

"Then come with me," Azurda said. "I will show you the way."

The Titan began flying out of the throne room. Frank bowed in respect to the king and thanked him for his help before going after Azurda. Meg and the others quickly followed, except Jason and Pandoria, who were stopped by Eulogimenos.

"Jason, my son," the Tantalese king said. "I have a favor, to ask of you as your king."

The Thunderbolt looked a little surprised. "Well, that's a first. Are you feeling okay, Father?"

"The Aegis needs… No, the _boy_ needs protection," Eulogimenos corrected himself.

"You mean Frank, don't you?" Jason guessed.

His father nodded. "Yes. I saw something in his eyes. A light that must never go out."

Jason chuckled in amusement. "Heh. Take it easy, Father," he teased. "People will get the wrong idea." Jason then took on a more serious expression. "Don't worry, I'll keep him safe. Besides, it's not like I _wasn't_ going with him anyway. Later, Dad."

"Goodbye, my son."

The Tantalese prince and Pandoria then hurried after their friends and began their way to Leftheria.

**To be continued**


	32. Chapter 32: Spirit Crucible Elpys

**Chapter 32- Spirit Crucible Elpys**

**The Marsanes**

Malos and Akhos were watching over Pyra, who was still unconscious, as she was held up by two Blade Bots.

"You really can't judge a book by its cover," Akhos said. "Who'd have thought that sweet-looking girl would threaten to destroy herself? Didn't she realize that taking her own life would mean the boy would die, too?"

Malos folded his arms and said, "Oh, she knew exactly what she was doing."

"The whole thing was a bluff, then?"

"No, not at all. I don't know why she gave half of her Core Crystal to the boy, but I don't really care. You see, an Aegis core encodes the blueprints for all life. She took advantage of that."

Akhos looked impressed. "Incredible. I had no idea such a thing was possible. Aegises truly are a breed apart."

"Cores are constantly accumulating data about the outside world," Malos continued. "The fact that their injuries are mirrored is a result of their twin cores exchanging information. If you wanted to be poetic about it, you could say that their very lives are intertwined. But there's nothing stopping her from severing that link."

"What do you mean?" Akhos asked in confusion.

"Before issuing the kill order to the Artifice," Malos explained. "She would've transferred the remainder of her core to the boy, letting him live on. An Aegis can live for a short time without a Core Crystal. Don't ask me why, it's just how we're made."

"Ah, so that's the reason Zeke agreed to her terms."

Malos nodded. "He couldn't care less about his own son dying. But he wasn't about to lose this one. Simple as that."

**Fonsett Village**

Frank and the others have finally arrived at Fonsett Village in Leftheria. They chose to keep to the outskirts since they felt they wouldn't be around for long. Frank now had the Ice Nodachi strapped to his back, as Jin has become his main Blade.

"So why are we back here?" Sonum questioned.

"Frank, do you remember Corinne telling you that Addam founded Fonsett Village?" Azurda said.

The Aegis Driver nodded. "Yeah. She told me that when we first came to Fonsett Village. Why? Is it important?"

"Did you know Fonsett has another name? Hero's Rest."

Frank gasped in shock. "Hero? You don't mean…"

"Indeed," Azurda confirmed. "After Addam founded Fonsett Village, he then charged me with protecting the village."

"Was this village really that important?" Ethan asked.

"What do you think I was protecting?"

Frank's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way. The third Aegis Sword! You mean it's been here the whole time?"

The Titan nodded. "Follow me."

Azurda led the group down a path leading to an isolated garden. Right in the center was a stone monolith with a strange stone tablet on it.

"Hey, I know this place," Frank said. "This is a monument to the Village Guardian."

"Just looks like a stone pillar to me," Nia remarked.

Jin groaned with annoyance. "Nia! Show some respect. There are tales that the village's guardian spirit dwells within. You should know this due to the months we've spent here in Fonsett." The Ice Blade turned his attention to the Titan. "Azurda, why are we here?"

The Titan pointed at the tablet and said, "Frank, try turning that stone tablet clockwise."

Frank, although confused, did what he was told. Immediately part of the monument opened up, revealing a strange blue crest.

Jin gasped as he recognized it. "That's the crest of Torna! That can only mean…"

"Frank, place your hand on it," Azurda advised.

The Aegis Driver nodded and placed his hand on the crest. The monument suddenly sank into the ground, revealing a set of stairs leading underground.

"No way!" Frank exclaimed in disbelief.

"This passage leads to the very center of the archipelago," Azurda explained. "There lies the cavern known as Spirit Crucible Elpys."

"That's an… interesting name," Kasandra commented.

"This entrance and the gate of the Spirit Crucible are sealed in such a way that only a Leftherian can open them," Azurda continued. "When Addam founded this village, he hid something deep within the body of the Titan that forms the archipelago's center."

"Which is the third sword?" Frank guessed.

The Titan nodded. "I don't know how word of it got out, but many were led here by rumors of the legendary sword. More than a few have entered the Spirit Crucible, but none have returned."

Ethan sighed in exasperation. "Not again! I hate going into death traps!"

Poppi then elbowed her Driver in the side. "What have I told you about your negative comments?! Keep them to yourself!"

Ethan immediately flinched with fear. "Sorry! It won't happen again!"

"It better!" Poppi threatened.

"Is the Crucible really that dangerous?" Sonum asked curiously.

"Addam wanted to ensure that the sword was securely sealed away," Azurda explained. "He put many measures in place to stop it from falling into the wrong hands. Only the hands of someone worthy. Addam himself said that taking this sword would be the mark of the Aegis's _true_ Driver."

"Their… true Driver," Frank said slowly.

"What will you do, Frank?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to get the sword. I'll do everything I can to become the Driver that Mythra and Pyra need. I won't fail them again. I swear it!"

Azurda smiled with pride. "Spoken like a true descendant of Addam. I should've expected as much. Courage is in your blood, after all."

"Wait, what?!" Frank exclaimed in shock. The others had the same reactions.

"F-Frank and Meg are…" Jason stuttered. "They're descendants of Addam?!"

"Of course," the Titan confirmed. "Their mother, Selena, was part of Addam's bloodline. That's part of why Frank was able to handle the Aegis's power more easily than expected. But now it is time for you to surpass Addam and do what even he could not."

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Meg questioned.

"I was under specific orders to not reveal your true heritage until the time was right. With you going to retrieve the third Aegis Sword, that time is now."

Frank was still stunned at the revelation. He eventually managed to collect himself and said, "Let's get moving. The more time we waste, the longer Mythra and Pyra have to suffer."

The others agreed and together, they went down the staircase into the cavern.

**Cliffs of Morytha**

Malos was at some ancient ruins that overlooked the Great Void. He stared at Pyra as she was held up by two Blade Bots. Malos remembered the injuries his fellow Aegis had dealt him five centuries ago, which he had barely survived. Suddenly his Core Crystal appeared on his chest, revealing it to be cracked and damaged.

"If you hadn't interfered back then," Malos spoke up. "Neither of us would have to go through this. Now then… Time to take back what I lost five hundred years ago."

**Meanwhile on the Marsanes**

Akhos and Patroka were reviewing the ship's systems at the bridge.

"How Malos is still alive with his Crystal in that state," Patroka mused. "It isn't normal."

Akhos chuckled in amusement. "The Aegis is the Master Blade," he explained. "The first Blade that the Architect forged. Malos can do things we can only dream of."

"And how exactly is he going to restore his core exactly?"

"He'll extract the data he's missing from the core of the other Aegis. Then all of his powers will be restored."

Patroka folded her arms. "Mhmm. Okay. So what will that do to her?"

Akhos sneered. "Heheh… Well if she's lucky, she'll live," Akhos replied. "Heh. As an empty husk, that is."

"Rough deal. Malos doesn't hold back, huh?"

**Cliffs of Morytha**

"Don't blame me for this," Malos said. "It's our Father who made us this way. But don't worry… Once I met him, I'll get the answers we're after. I need to know why we're like this. In any case, this world only needs one Aegis. Don't you agree, Pyra?"

Malos extended his right hand towards Pyra's Core Crystal. Purple energy radiated off his hand as he began extracting the data from his fellow Aegis, causing her to flinch in pain.

**Spirit Crucible Elyps**

Frank and his friends found themselves walking through a narrow cavern. Particles of blue light illuminated the cavern. Suddenly Dromarch collapsed to the ground.

"Dromarch!" Sonum said in concern. "Are you okay?"

The tiger Blade slowly nodded as he picked himself up. "Sorry, my lady. I've been feeling a little dizzy…"

"You too," Brighid said.

"You're dizzy too, Lady Brighid?"

The Fire Blade nodded. "Yes, for a while now," she revealed. "Though I'm still capable of standing."

"Same with me," Jin added. "I bet the other Blades are feeling the same way."

Kasandra nodded. "Yeah. What's going on? This place is so creepy!"

"I was afraid this would happen," Azurda said suddenly.

Ethan looked up at the Titan, who was back inside Frank's hood. "You knew about this?"

"The tales say that Spirit Crucible Elpys saps the strength of Blades," Azurda explained. "It's one of the reasons why no one has returned from its depths."

"The ether flow is very low in this area," Poppi spoke up. "That may be the cause of it."

"Just like that time in the Tantalese palace?" Nia asked.

The artificial Blade nodded. "Yes, but that's not the only issue. The glowing particles in the air _absorb_ ether. They then use it to light up the cave."

"So not only do you have _less_ power," Jason realized. "The power you _do_ have is being absorbed. Well, that's just great. This place is getting more attractive by the minute."

"What about you, Poppi?" Mika asked. "How are you being affected."

"I feel just fine. This place doesn't affect me at all!"

"Of course," the Chaosbringer mused. "You're an artificial Blade. You can create your own ether energy."

The group continued down the cavern before arriving at a chasm with a single wooden bridge that looked worse for wear.

"We have to cross that?" Frank questioned.

"Yes," Azurda replied. "But we must proceed with caution. Once we enter, the Blades will be sapped of most of their power. If they run out of energy, they might be forced to return to their core state. And there's a chance they could never reawaken."

Mika gritted his teeth and faced his Blade. "Kasandra, stay here and guard the bridge."

The Dark Blade looked at her Driver in confusion. "What? Why?"

"Don't ask dumb questions! You know why!"

"If I'm staying, you're stay-"

"I'll be fine. I'm ordering you to stay here!" Mika shouted. Desperation was etched into his voice.

"Is something wrong?" Meg questioned, having overheard the duo arguing.

"Kasandra was just agreeing to stay behind," Mika said.

"Now way!" Kasandra retorted. "I'm going with you! We made a promise, remember? I go where you go. End of story!"

Frank rested his hand on his waist and chuckled in amusement. "I'd let her come if I were you, Mika," the Aegis Driver said. "I know full well just how stubborn Blades can be."

The Chaosbringer sighed in defeat. "Fine. You can come."

Kasandra smiled in triumph. Meanwhile Jin whispered in Nia's ear, "Will you be alright?"

The Gormotti nodded. "I will be," she whispered back. "We've come this far. Might as well see it to the end."

"Just don't push yourself."

Meg then faced her brother. "I don't know what's in there," the Flamebringer said. "But aside from Ethan and Poppi, most of our abilities will be much weaker than usual."

"Healing Arts will be less effective too," Jason added. "If we're not careful, one nasty wound could be the end of us."

"Understood," Frank said. "Ethan. Poppi. We need you to cover the front. We'll be relying on you two more than ever before."

"You got it, Frank!" Ethan replied. "Since Poppi's an artificial Blade, she's not affected by the low ether flow. Leave everything to us."

"Who'd have thought that artificial Blades would be so useful?" Pandoria mused. "I'm a little jealous."

Frank then realized something. "Wait a minute. How come Klaus didn't show up?"

Jin raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Klaus always shows up whenever bad things happen," Frank explained. "Like when Marth first came to Alrest. You'd think he'd reveal himself after Pyra got captured by Zeke."

Meg folded her arms. "You're right, Brother. That is a little strange. Maybe Klaus believes that we can handle this on our own. Or perhaps it's something else entirely. Come to think of it, how much do we really know about him? There's just some things about him that don't add up, like him claiming to being a follower of Addam when there are no records of them existing whatsoever."

"We can't worry about that now," Jin replied. "We need to find the third sword quickly so we can save Pyra and Mythra."

Frank nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Let's go."

The group hurried down to the bridge and crossed it. They then proceeded down a tunnel that resembled a bone structure. At the end of the tunnel was a large cavern. Both Pandoria and Kasandra stopped walking and were breathing heavily.

"Pandy, Kasandra, are you both alright?" Jason asked in concern.

"Never… better," the Thunder Blade said with difficulty. "I'm… right as… rain."

"So… am… I," the Dark Blade added. Kasandra then stumbled, but Mika quickly caught her.

"Don't worry," Mika said. "I've got you."

Meg looked around and saw that the particles were getting bigger. "It appears the deeper we go, the thicker these particles get," she observed. "That means our Blades will lose even more power than we thought. Maybe we should turn back."

"Thanks for your concern," Pandoria said while trying to catch her breath. "But it'll take more than this to bring me down."

"Don't worry," Jason said to his girlfriend. "I'll keep an eye on her. You do the same with Brighid."

Frank then noticed that Mika was having trouble breathing as well. "Mika, are you okay?" the Aegis Driver asked. "You don't look too good yourself."

"Huh? Oh yeah," the Chaosbringer said hesitantly. "I didn't think it was worth mentioning, but…" Mika removed his chestplate and pulled up his undershirt. Right where his heart was located was the missing piece of Kasandra's Core Crystal.

"What the?" Frank said in disbelief. "Mika, what happened to you?"

"Remember when we told you that the Praetor found us with Mika half-dead?" Pandoria said. "Well…"

**Flashback- 6 months ago**

Mika, Jason, Pandoria, Kasandra were in the middle of a forest in Gormott. They had just repelled a dangerous monster, but Mika was gravely wounded in the process. The Chaosbringer was laying down on the grass, with Kasandra desperately trying to keep him conscious.

"Mika!" the Dark Blade exclaimed with worry. "You can't go out like this! Not here!"

Mika let out a few heavy coughs. "Sorry, Kasandra," Mika said in grief. "It looks like… my luck has finally… got the better of me. Just go on without me."

"No way!" Jason refused as he knelt by his fellow Driver. "We're in this together. You need to hang on! We're almost out. Besides, if you die, Kasandra and Wulfric will return to their Core Crystals. They'll forget all about you."

The Chaosbringer looked up at the Tantalese prince. "I know. Promise me… that you'll look after them for me. And tell Frank… I'm sorry." Mika then blacked out from the blood loss.

Jason gritted his teeth. "Tell him yourself!" Jason got Mika back on his feet, holding the latter by his shoulders. He then noticed that Kasandra looked really weak due to her Driver being on death's door. "Pandoria! Carry Kasandra! We need to get some help now!"

"You got it!" Pandoria allowed Kasandra to use her as support.

The group then hurried through the forest, trying to find anyone who could help.

"It can't end like this," Jason said. "I won't allow it. We haven't even reunited with Frank and the others yet. Mika, you have to live! For Kasandra, and for the rest of us!"

"Mi…ka," Kasandra said weakly as her vision darkened.

"Kasandra! No!" Pandoria said desperately as she tried to shake her fellow Blade awake. "You've got to hang on! Kasandra!" Her words fell on deaf ears as Kasandra passed out.

"No!" Jason said in frustration. He then heard footsteps in the distance, which were getting closer by the second. Jason could tell that they belonged to humans. "Just great. They're probably bandits. We can't fight them off with Mika and Kasandra in this state."

"My prince."

Instead of bandits, however, Jason and Pandoria found themselves face-to-face with Praetor Amalthus and some of his warrior monks.

**Later**

Kasandra awoke and found herself in a dorm room inside the Praetorium. She saw that Mika was in the bed next to hers, resting peacefully, and more importantly, alive.

"What the…?"

"Ah, you're awake." Kasandra turned and saw Praetor Amalthus approach her, along with Jason and Pandoria.

"Don't worry," Amalthus said reassuringly. "Your Driver will be fine."

"You… You saved him?" Kasandra questioned.

"This is Praetor Amalthus. He found us in the forest after you passed out," Jason explained. "After explaining what happened, he brought us here where he healed Mika. Um… you might want to look at your core."

The Dark Blade looked confused. "Huh? Why?" Kasandra looked down and saw that a triangular part of her Core Crystal was missing.

"I'm sorry," Amalthus said solemnly. "I had to transplant a part of your Core Crystal into his heart. It was the only way to save you both. However, you won't be able to return to your core should you or your Driver die. That means you won't be able to be reawakened should that happen."

"So I've only got one life now?" Kasandra asked.

Pandoria adjusted her glasses and said, "That's the impression I got. But look on the bright side. This also makes Mika somewhat immortal, so you won't have to worry about that for a long time."

**Later**

Mika and Kasandra were walking around the Praetorium's courtyard. The Chaosbringer seemed somewhat distressed.

"Kasandra," Mika said. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

Kasandra gave her Driver a cheeful smile. "Don't worry about it. I think it's cool that a part of me is keeping you alive. Maybe this is a sign that our luck is turning around."

"Maybe." Mika then said something to his Blade, which caused her smile to get even bigger. Jason, who was watching from a distance with Pandoria, smiled at the sight.

**Present Day**

"So that's what happened," Mika said as he put his chestplate back on.

"They do that in Indol?" Frank questioned.

Mika nodded. "Looks like you and I have more in common than we thought. Except mine was just a surgical procedure."

"You make it sound so simple," Meg said. "But I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

Jason glanced at his girlfriend and said, "You see, Indol can trace its roots back to Judicium. They're the creators of that Titan weapon we found on Temperantia. They carried out experiments fusing Blade and human cells, creating the Flesh Eaters."

"So these practices persist in Indol?" Meg asked.

"Yes," Jason confirmed. "They took advantage of Blade regeneration and patched Mika up with Kasandra's Core Crystal. He's now a Blade Eater, just like Zeke."

"A Blade Eater," Nia said quietly, bringing her hand to her chest.

"Speaking of which," Ethan voiced. "Wouldn't Frank be considered a Blade Eater too? He's got half of Pyra's Core Crystal after all."

Jin shrugged. "Hard to say. Aegises are a different type of Blades, so the usual rules don't really apply to them. Then there's the fact that he doesn't seem to be affected by this place, unlike Mika."

"I'm alright," the Chaosbringer assured. "Let's push on. We need to find the third Aegis Sword."

The group continued onward. Unbeknownst to them, Nia had a conflicted look on her face. The group soon found themselves attacked by Upas and Vangs. Ethan and Poppi instantly went into the offensive, constantly unleashing Arts to kill the monsters. The other Drivers and Blades used Arts sparingly, trying to conserve as much power as possible. After the monsters were dealt with, the group found themselves above an underground river.

They followed a rocky pathway, doing their best to avoid monsters as much as possible, before reaching the end of the river, where they found a wall with a large hole drilled in it. The particles continued to get thicker, now forming a mist. Even the Drivers now were having trouble breathing. Azurda was the only one who seemed to be unaffected. The Titan was also hovering beside the Aegis Driver rather than sit inside his hood.

Jin noticed that Nia was in the back of the group, moving slower than usual. "You alright?"

Nia hesitantly nodded. "Worry about yourself. I'm just fine." She looked up at Mika. "You gotta admire Shellhead over there. He just put it right out there. And here I am… Jin, I'm going to put myself to the test. Right here."

The Paragon of Torna realized what she meant and nodded. "Very well. It's your call. Just know that once you do, there's no going back."

"This mist makes me feel like I'm swimming through the Cloud Sea," Azurda commented.

"This mist is produced when a fossilized Titan body reacts with the atmosphere," Meg explained. "It's why it's so hard to breathe down here."

Frank turned and noticed the Gormotti panting really hard. "Nia, are you alright? You look like you're in pain."

"I'm fine," Nia dismissed. "I'm just struggling to breathe like everyone else. And a little dizzy, that's all."

Frank still looked concerned, however. "All right. But let me know if you need to rest. I'm not going to risk anyone's health just to find a sword."

Nia gave the Aegis Driver a light smile. "Thanks, Frank."

"Hey, guys!" Ethan shouted. "Come look at this!"

The others noticed that Ethan and Poppi were by the hole in the wall.

"This passageway looks unnatural," Poppi revealed. "But it looks like it's our only way down."

"I agree with Poppi," Brighid added. "That rock formation isn't natural. Someone obviously made it. But who?"

Jason held his chin as he thought for a moment. "Maybe it was grave robbers. Azurda did mention that others have made their way down here before us."

Azurda shook his head. "Except there's nothing here worth stealing," the Titan said. "Well, except for…"

"The third sword!" Frank finished.

"Indeed. It's possible that Zeke and his accomplices have been here," Azurda theorized.

"Does that mean we're too late?" Sonum asked.

Azurda shrugged. "That's if we assume that they already have the third sword."

"Which they clearly don't," Meg added. "Otherwise they would have tried to use it against us during our previous encounters."

"Indeed," Azurda agreed. "I do not think that Addam would let the sword be found so easily. The only way to find out is to press onward."

"Yeah," Frank said. "Let's keep going." The Aegis Driver led his friends down the tunnel. They found themselves inside a large chamber with poisonous water and monsters. Everyone agreed that it was much safer to keep to the rocks rather than take their chances in the water. They had to deal with three Crustips, which took a while since the only ones who weren't weakened were Ethan and Poppi, before finding a way up a circular path that was around an abyss.

As they made their way up, Mika slipped and nearly fell into the abyss had Frank not used his grapple to pull him up. The group continued making their way through the cavern, making sure to avoid monsters when possible. They then found themselves on a ledge where they were flanked by four Riik.

"Get out of our way!" Jason demanded before activating Lightning Fury Slash, knocking the monsters into the cavern walls.

"Azure Striker: Form the Second, Radiance!" Meg shouted before slamming her flaming whipswords on the ground, sending the whips right at the monsters, injuring them.

Mika's hammer began radiating dark energy. "Bringer of Chaos," he jumped high in the air, his hammer raised to strike, "Ultimate Shadow Smash, Max!" Mika brought his hammer down on the ground, creating a small shockwave of dark energy, knocking the Riik off the ledge and into the poisonous water.

"Nice work you three," Frank said as he finished off an Aspar that tried, and failed, to sneak up on him while he was distracted.

The group then continued down a long passageway before arriving at a large hole with structures built into it. Meg looked into the corner of her eye and saw that Nia was struggling to walk.

"Brother," the Flamebringer spoke up. "I think we should take a break. We've been walking for a while now."

The Aegis Driver noticed Nia and some of the Blades were finding it difficult to stand and nodded. "I hear you. We've still got a long way to go. It's best that we don't push ourselves too hard." He looked around and saw no monsters nearby. "This looks like a good spot. We'll rest here for a few minutes, then continue."

"Sounds like a plan," Jin agreed.

Everyone sat down on the cold stone floor, except Azurda, who chose to return to Frank's hood. The Drivers were by their Blades, except Nia, who was sitting by Frank and Jin. Ethan told Poppi to cool down her ether furnace while she had the chance. The artificial Blade obeyed and let out a stream of scorching hot steam. Unfortunately, Ethan got caught in the blast.

"Gah! Hothothothot!" Ethan shouted as he tried to get away from the steam.

Poppi gave her Driver a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, Ethan."

Frank kept an eye on Nia, who seemed to be feeling better.

"Hey Nia," Frank said suddenly.

The Gormotti faced the Aegis Driver curiously. "Yeah. What is it?"

"I just realized… You never really told me about yourself. All I do know is that Jin saved you from bandits before you met me and Mythra."

The Paragon of Torna said nothing, and instead simply watched.

Nia lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry. My past is a little… complicated. My father was a well-known noble in Gormott. A real big cheese. He made me study hard, but it was all how to be a proper lady. Which fork to use. It doesn't really help me out here though. Just useless shite."

"I know how you feel," Meg revealed. "When I first arrived in Mor Ardain, I had to go through the same thing. Although, I had to be even more careful since I am the emperor's cousin. Politics and manners don't serve much purpose on the field, but it was important for me to know."

Frank chuckled in amusement.

"Alright, what's so funny?" Nia asked.

"Nothing. It's just… I never pictured you as a noble's daughter."

Nia lightly punched the Aegis Driver in the shoulder. "Shut it, you," she said. "I hated studying." She looked up at the ceiling. "But, looking back… Those were the happiest times of my life. There was my father… and my big sister. Just the three of us."

"No way," Mika mused. "You had a sister?"

Nia nodded. "Yeah. She was very frail. I spent a lot of time at her bedside. My father brought doctors from all over to try and help her. He tried so hard. It was all he thought about. After that point… my memories aren't so happy."

"What happened?" Jason asked.

"My father spent all his money on chasing a cure, and lost his position as a lord," Nia answered. "From then on, we became drifters. It was a tough life. It took it's toll on my sister. She died not long after." The Gormotti could feel everyone's grief for her loss. "Anyway," she said. "I'm sorry for talking your ear off."

Frank shook his head. "No, don't be," he said. "I think I understand you a little better. You've experienced your own type of loss, just like the rest of us."

Nia couldn't help but smile as she stood up. She nearly stumbled, but quickly caught herself. "Thanks Frank," she said. "I'm feeling much better now. I think it's time we get moving."

"All right," Frank replied as he stood up. "If you need another break, just let me know. That goes for all of you too."

The others then rose to their feet and pressed onward. Jin noticed that Frank was in the back this time.

"Something wrong?" the Ice Blade asked.

"No, it's just… I feel like Nia's not telling the full story. Like she's hiding something."

"Everyone has things they'd rather not share. Just look at Mythra… she didn't say anything about a third Aegis Sword to any of us. Heck, when I first met you, I hid the fact that I was a Blade from you. Just give it time. I know Nia will eventually open up."

Frank slowly nodded. "You make a good point, Jin." He smiled as he eyed his partner. "I'm glad to have you by my side. You're a good friend."

Jin returned the gesture. "As am I. Sometimes I feel that had I not met you, my life would have taken a much darker path."

After some great difficulty, the group managed to reach the bridge in the pit that led further in. They had to not only avoid being attacked by monsters, but they needed to use the combined efforts of Jin, Wulfric and Roc to reach the bridge safely. However, nothing could have prepared them for what they found on the other side of the bridge. The passageway was blocked by a cluster of green crystals.

Meg examined the structure and said, "It looks like the only way through is by force."

"Poppi, incendiary barrage!" Ethan ordered.

"Roger roger!" Poppi looked ready to attack.

"Waitwaitwait!" Jason exclaimed quickly, almost fearful. "Are you two trying to bring the whole cave down on us?!"

Ethan let out an amused laugh. "It was just a joke."

"I don't have that kind of weaponry," Poppi added.

The Thunderbolt glared daggers at the duo, causing them to flinch in fear. "That wasn't funny!"

"Uh, Frank… Help!" Ethan said desperately.

"Sorry, you're on your own," the Aegis Driver replied simply, leaving Ethan and Poppi at the mercy of the Tantalese prince. Frank instead observed the green crystalline structure, when suddenly his Core Crystal lit up.

"Whoa!" he said in awe.

The cluster of crystals suddenly opened up, revealing a tunnel.

Meg approached her brother and said, "Could this be because of your bond with Mythra and Pyra?"

Frank shrugged. "I don't know. But I don't see any footprints here. That means no one has gotten passed this point."

"Then that means the third Aegis Sword must still be down here," Dromarch replied.

Pandoria nodded in agreement. "Yeah. There's still hope!"

"I've got a bad feeling that things are going to get much harder from here on out," Kasandra confessed. "We should still be extra careful. Who knows what's waiting for us up ahead?"

The group pressed onward, delving further into the Spirit Crucible.

**To be continued**


	33. Chapter 33: Nia's Secret

**Chapter 33- Nia's Secret**

Frank and his friends continued going deeper into the Spirit Crucible Elpys. They wandered through a cavern filled with poisonous water and monsters like Crustips and Blants. Poppi spotted a short-cut through the poisonous water, and since they were pressed for time, the group chose to take it.

They didn't bother trying to fight any monsters as they hurried through the water, which was sapping their strength the longer they were in it. Once the group was in the clear, they took a short break to recover their strength.

"Let's not do that again," Sonum said.

"Agreed," Ethan replied. "How much farther do we have to go, anyway?"

All eyes turned towards Azurda. "Don't look at me," the Titan said. "I've never been here before. Addam only ordered me to guard this place, he never told me how to navigate through it. Not to mention I was a full-grown Titan back then."

"So we're essentially just running in blind?" Ethan deadpanned.

"Pretty much."

Frank chuckled in amusement. "Lighten up, Ethan. This happens to us practically every day. We'll be fine. I'm sure we just need to go a little further."

"If you say so," Ethan said slowly, not fully convinced.

The group continued down and found themselves overlooking an Arachno nest.

"Oh great," Mika said slowly. "Why did it have to be Arachnos?"

"Brother, haven't you dealt with them before on Earth?" Meg questioned.

The Aegis Driver nodded. "Yeah, but I had Mythra with me back then. With our abilities being weakened here, we won't last long if the entire nest attacks us."

"So what should we do?" Jason asked.

Jin noticed Arachno webs between the stone pillars that covered the room. The webs seemed to act as make-shift bridges.

"I have an idea," the Paragon of Torna said. "There are webs that are connected to the pillars here. We can use them to get across while avoiding most of the Arachnos below. The webs should be strong enough to hold our weight, but we should still hurry, just to be safe."

Frank folded his arms and said, "That sounds like a good idea. Problem is that there are a few Aspar up here too. We'll have to take out any that get in our way, while also making sure we don't fall off."

"Well we knew this wouldn't be easy," Pandoria said as she adjusted her glasses. "Might as well take a chance and go."

The Aegis Driver sighed in defeat. "All right. But let's make this quick. I don't want to stay here longer than necessary."

The group moved from pillar to pillar, occasionally having to fight a few smaller Arachno or an Aspar. Eventually they reached the other side of the room before jumping down to the lower floor. There, they found the tunnel blocked by Arachno webbing.

"Great," Sonum said in frustration. "Now what?"

Meg simply smirked and eyed her Blade. "Brighid."

"I'm on it." The Fire Blade summoned a burst of fire in her hands before shooting it at the webs, burning it away.

"Nice work, Brighid," Frank praised. "Now we can keep going."

"My pleasure."

Suddenly they heard something big approaching them from behind. The group turned and found themselves face-to-face with a huge Arachno. The monster screeched at them in anger before charging.

"Into the tunnel!" Jason exclaimed fearfully.

No one objected and sprinted into the tunnel, which thankfully was too narrow for the Arachno to fit in. They didn't stop until they couldn't hear the monster's screeching anymore.

"That scared the hell out of me," Nia said while panting. "How are we going to get back knowing that thing is there?"

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," Frank replied.

The group looked around and found that they were in a darkened room. Dromarch then noticed a stone pillar in front of them and read the text on it. Surprisingly, the room subsequently lit up and revealed a narrow stone bridge with multiple turns leading to the other side over an abyss. They also saw that multiple Lexos were patrolling the area.

"We never get a break," Mika exasperated.

"There's no use in complaining about it," Sonum replied. "Let's just press on. If we get attacked, we'll fight. The only thing we need to worry about is not losing our footing."

The group traveled down the bridge. It wasn't until they were halfway across that a Lexos spotted them and attacked. The Drivers and Blades immediately sprung into action, with Meg, Mika and Ethan (who had switched to his Mech Arms) holding the monster's attention. Frank and the others flanked the Lexos and attacked from the sides.

The Lexos tried to take a bite out of the Chaosbringer, but Kasandra protected him with a defensive barrier. Ethan then used Scattershot, which fired a barrage of missiles at the monster, injuring it greatly. It was Sonum who finished the Lexos off by using Gemini Loop on its injured neck, causing the monster to fall into the abyss.

"Well, that happened," Jason said as he and his fellow Drivers sheathed their weapons.

"Let's move before more of those things show up," Ethan suggested.

Everyone agreed and continued down the bridge. Soon they arrived at the entrance to the next room. Suddenly Nia began feeling light-headed and her vision became blurry. Memories of her father began resurfacing in her mind.

"Her life is tied to yours," her father had said as Nia's mind flash backed to her past.

**Sometime in the past**

It was right around when Nia's "sister" died. Her "father" had just made her do something that would change her forever. Nia's appearance was drastically different as well, looking identical to the time when she healed Niall in Indol.

"You have a life inside you now," he told her as he looked down into the coffin where his daughter's body was in.

"A life," Nia said slowly.

"She lives on inside you. Her life is tied to yours."

Sometime later, Nia was looking out the window when she heard the former noble approach.

"Nia," the Gormotti said. "Say it for me now. Address me as… 'Father'."

Nia turned to face the man, and with great reluctance, said, "Yes… Father."

A few weeks later, the former noble died, leaving Nia all alone. Her appearance was now the same as it was in the present. She was curled up by her father's bedside, crying.

"Father," Nia sobbed. "Father."

**Present Day**

"Nia! Nia!" Jin exclaimed in worry.

Nia gasped as she was brought out to reality and saw her friends all around her, looking concerned. "Sorry. I blanked out for a moment."

"Do you need to rest some more?" Meg offered.

The Gormotti shook her head. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"Are you sure?" Frank questioned. "One wrong step and you'll fall down there. I don't think there's even a bottom."

Nia stared at the Aegis Driver with disdain. "You must be sick with saving me by now, eh?"

Frank raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard, Nia," Brighid added. "You should rest a little longer."

"It's even harder for you though," Nia replied. "I'm telling you guys, I'm fine."

The others simply shrugged before continuing down the bridge. Along the way, Nia pulled Frank to the side and said, "After my sister died, it wasn't long before my dad died too."

"Huh?" Frank said in confusion. Jin noticed his Driver stopping and returned to his side.

"I'm finishing my story," Nia said. "After he died, I started to wander around Alrest. Or maybe I should say 'running'."

"Running? From what?" Frank also noticed that Jin remained quiet.

"The Praetorium."

"What?" Frank didn't expect that answer. "Why?"

Nia's eyes looked down. "Well… It's a long story."

**Flashback**

Nia was running through a forest somewhere on Gormott. She was being chased by Indoline soldiers.

"Get the cannibal!" one of the soldiers shouted. "Capture that flesh-eating Blade!"

Nia soon found herself trapped between a cliff-wall and the Indoline soldiers.

"Nowhere to run now, Flesh Eater!" one of the Indoline said. "Surrender now or perish!"

Nia gritted her teeth and reached for her twin rings. Suddenly a silver-haired masked swordsman appeared out of nowhere and attacked the Indoline soldiers. Nia watched in awe as the man cut down the soldiers like weeds before he turned to face her. Out of pure fear, Nia tried to back away from the swordsman, but found her back pressed against the cliff.

"Don't worry," the man said calmly as he sheathed his nodachi. "I won't hurt you." He removed his mask, revealing a blue Core Crystal on his forehead.

"You're… a Blade," Nia said in disbelief.

The man nodded. "My name's Jin. What's yours?"

The Gormotti was silented for a few moments before answering. "N-Nia."

"Why were those men after you? You can tell me."

For some reason that Nia never understood, she told Jin her story, and why she was chased by Indoline soldiers. Jin was shocked at first, before it was quickly replaced by sympathy. He then told her he was going to Fonsett Village in Leftheria to protect the Driver of the Aegis. Nia decided to tag along with her rescuer, to which Jin didn't refuse. Unbeknownst to her however, Jin silently hoped that Nia would one day resonate with a new Driver, one that she could trust completely.

**Present Day**

"It felt like the whole world was against me," Nia explained. "There was nothing I could do but stay on the run. Taking each day as it came. Just thankful for every sunrise, praying I'd see another."

"Wow," Frank said simply. "That's pretty harsh."

"It was. And then I met Jin," Nia continued. "He… He took me in. And… you know the rest of what happens."

The Aegis Driver was stunned at what he heard. "Nia… I'm so sorry you had to go through such a hard life," Frank said. "No one should have to go through that."

"Don't concern yourself with it. It's all in the past. The truth is… I didn't really know how long I would stay with you, Jin, Mythra and Pyra. But as time rolled by, I've come to see you all as family. You're like the older brother I never had."

Frank chuckled in amusement. "Well, I've always seen you as a younger sister myself," he admitted. "Heh. I never really thought you'd be the type of person to worry about things like that."

"Well, I wasn't worried, as such," Nia retorted. "Anyway, that's my life story."

"Nia… I don't know what's burdening you," Frank said suddenly. "But you shouldn't be afraid."

"Afraid?"

"Of whatever it is. Stay true to your feelings, even if it means fighting tooth and claw. That's what I learned from fighting alongside Marth and his friends. I think that fits you, too."

"What the hell?!" Nia said bitterly. "I'm not some violent-"

"You know what he means," Jin interrupted with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"What the-" Nia nearly shouted, causing Frank and Jin to laugh.

"There we go," Frank said. "That's the Nia I know."

"The Nia… you know?" the Gormotti said slowly.

"Anyway," Frank said. "We should catch up with the others. We're nearly there."

The Aegis Driver went to join the others, with Jin right behind him. Nia stared at the Driver in disbelief before hurrying after him. The group founded themselves a small chamber, which seemed to be the end of the Spirit Crucible Elpys. The crest of Torna was prominently shown on the back wall, atop of an altar with a strange pillar.

The chamber was empty, but Frank and his friends kept their guard up as they approached the pillar.

"I think we've reached the end," Ethan said. "So where's the sword?"

Frank looked up at the wall and examined the crest. "That seal, it's the same one that was on the monument outside."

Suddenly shadowy phantasms surrounded the group. They looked disturbingly similar to Addam wielding Mythra's sword.

"W-what are these things?!" Sonum exclaimed in fear.

"They must be the guardians of the third sword," Meg theorized. "We have to defeat them to claim it."

"Then let's go," Frank declared as he drew his sword. The others then drew their weapons as well while the Blades prepared to transfer power to their Drivers.

The phantasms attacked the group from multiple angles. There were always two phantoms battling each Driver and their Blade, making it impossible for the tanks to do their jobs. The Drivers were forced to be on defense, focusing more on avoiding attacks rather than doing them.

Ethan, since he was the only Driver who was unhindered by the Spirit Crucible, tried his best to get as many phantoms attacking him as possible. His Mech Arms made it easier for him to hit multiple targets, mostly thanks to Scattershot, which fired multiple barrages of projectiles. Ethan and Poppi were about to finish off one phantom when it suddenly created two duplicates of itself. Unfortunately for the phantom, Jet Biter tore right through it, causing it to disappear. However, the two other phantoms simply turned their attention to Ethan and attacked.

Ethan gritted his teeth as he blocked the phantoms' swords with his Mech Arms. "Just great," he said in frustration. "These things can duplicate themselves!"

"Then we'll have to take them out faster than they can replace themselves," Meg said. The Flamebringer activated Hellfire, which had her whipswords ignite into blue flames before swinging them at three phantasms that were ganging up on Sonum and Dromarch. Meg's Art wiped out the phantasms, however more of them just took their place.

"You have got to kidding," Brighid scorned.

Frank managed to parry two phantasms' attacks before cutting them down with Ultraslash. Another phantasm tried to attack him from behind, but Jin blocked it with a defensive barrier. Frank then tossed the nodachi to his Blade, who quickly killed it with Chillstroke before returning the sword to his Driver.

Jin saw that more phantasms emerged from the shadows. "There's no end to them," the Paragon of Torna said.

"We've just got to hang on," Frank said as he clashed with multiple phantoms. "We can't give up now. Not when we're so close!"

The Chaosbringer's hammer began radiating dark energy. "Bringer of Chaos," he said as he jumped high in the air, his hammer raised to strike, "Ultimate Shadow Smash, Max!" Mika brought his hammer down on the ground as he descended, creating a small shockwave of dark energy that destroyed three phantoms. Unfortantely, Mika then tripped on a rock, giving another phantasm the opportunity to slash at his chest.

"Gah!" Mika exclaimed in pain before falling to his knees, clutching his chest. The phantom attempted to finish off the downed Driver, but Jason came to his rescue by blasting it with Overload Thunderbeam. Sonum then healed the Chaosbringer's injuries with Healing Halo, allowing him to rejoin the fight.

From then on, it seemed like the battle grew into a stalemate between the two forces, until the phantoms' numbers slowly became too much for the Drivers and Blades to handle. One of them managed to knock Nia to the ground, leaving her vulnerable as her strength was failing her. She watched helplessly as the phantom prepared to finish her off by lunging its sword, when suddenly Frank intercepted the blow with his nodachi, with Jin standing by his side.

Frank managed to force the phantom back but gritted his teeth when he saw four more phantoms appear before him and Jin. The Aegis Driver and the Paragon of Torna tried desperately to fend off their five assailants by constantly passing the Ice Nodachi between them, but it was too much for the duo to handle. They both got injured and fell to their knees.

"Frank! Jin!" Nia exclaimed in worry. Memories of losing her family, Temporal Island, Fan la Norne's death, along with Niall's "death", began to resurface in her mind.

'_No… No more,_' Nia thought before saying. "I won't hide any longer. I won't hide who I am. No more!" A bright light and water burst out of the Gormotti, catching everyone's attention. Only Jin realized what the light meant and simply smiled as Nia's appearance changed.

Nia's hair grew out to her waist and was tied back in two ponytails by two red strings. Her Gormotti ears became longer and were now covered by white ribbons. Her outfit changed into a white and red dress with gold trimming that exposed her legs, which had glowing blue ether circles on the sides. It also had oversized sleeves that revealed her shoulders and lower arms and a red while her hands now had white gloves with black at the end of the wrist. There were also black and maroon colors inverted on the dress. Nia's boots now went up to her thighs and had high heels. The boots shared the same color scheme as her dress, except the bottom was red and each had a golden spike protruding out, running parallel with her leg. Finally, Nia had none other than a blue-and-red Core Crystal prominently seen on her chest.

Nia's transformation had also forced the phantoms away from Frank and Jin.

"Nia…" Mika said in shock.

"She's a Blade!" Jason exclaimed.

"Not merely a Blade," Meg added. "She's a Flesh Eater!"

The newly revealed Flesh Eater went over to Frank and knelt in front of him.

"Nia," Frank said in disbelief. "You're a Blade?!"

"I am burdened no longer," Nia declared. "Not by my past, not by anything. I am finally free!" A barrier of water then surrounded the trio.

Frank examined his arms as he saw his injuries close up. "What the?"

Nia then took the Aegis Driver's hand into her own. "I am no longer afraid. This is what I am, Frank! What's the point in living if I have to hide? Thank you for helping me see. I love you, Frank."

More phantasms charged at the trio to attack. Nia immediately sprang into action by jumping over the Aegis Driver, intercepting the phantoms. Her Core Crystal lit up as Nia summoned a one-edged sword with a blue blade and golden hilt, which had a blue-and-red crystal embedded in it, into her right hand. There was also a vine with white flowers that encircled the blade. Nia swung her newly created Catalyst Scimitar at the phantoms, sending out a blast of water that knocked them to the ground.

The other Drivers recovered from their shock and got back into the fight. Jason began clashing with one phantom and was winning. "Come on then," the Thunderbolt goaded. "Who wants a piece?"

Mika morphed his hammer into a shield and proceeded to block another phantom's attacks, allowing Sonum to finish it off with Jaguar Slash. Ethan and Meg held their own against two phantoms, constantly blocking attacks before countering with their own.

Two phantoms proceeded to attack Nia. The Flesh Eater blocked the first one's sword with her own before forcing them away with a spinning kick. She then twirled as she parried more of their attacks before slashing at their chests. However, Nia began feeling exhausted as her burst of power began wearing off.

"Hnng. There really isn't much ether here," Nia said in a strained voice, finding it difficult to keep standing.

More phantoms appeared in front of the Flesh Eater and prepared to charge at her when she fell to her knees. However, Frank, Jin and Roc intercepted them and forced them away with their Arts. While Jin, who was wielding his nodachi, and Roc fought off more phantoms, Frank turned to check on Nia.

"Nia, I love you too," Frank revealed. "You're like family to me, just like everyone else here. Plus, I think it's cool that you're a Blade."

Nia burst out laughing as she rose to her feet. "That's just like you, Frank. Like I said before, you're like family to me too." She offered the Aegis Driver her scimitar. "Now let's give them hell!"

Frank smirked with excitement. "Yeah!" He took the Catalyst Scimitar from Nia. A golden aura appeared around the Driver and Blade as Frank began fighting off the phantasms while Nia transferred her power to him. They fought alongside Jin and Roc as more phantoms kept coming. One tried to attack Nia from behind, but Roc protected her with Gale Wing. Another tried to attack Frank, but Nia protected him with a defensive barrier. Frank then passed the sword to the Flesh Eater, who proceeded to kill one phantom before returning the sword to her new Driver as they stood back-to-back.

Jin quickly noticed more phantoms coming from the right and prepared to engage, when suddenly blasts of blue fire and lightning struck the phantoms from behind, destroying them. The ones responsible were none other than Meg and Jason, who along with their Blades, had a golden aura as well. The other Drivers and Blades had gold auras as well.

Aegaeon and Wulfric were then summoned to join the battle. The tide has finally shifted into the party's favor as the phantoms began dropping like flies. Ethan finished off two phantoms with Iron Cannon, which was a three-punch attack with his mech arms. Sonum teamed up with Mika as they fought off the phantoms that surrounded them and their Blades, with none of them giving in.

Frank then locked swords with one particular phantom, neither of them able to overpower the other.

_You fight,_ a familiar voice said in Frank's head.

"Who said that?" the Aegis Driver questioned. He knocked back the phantom's sword and proceeded to strike at its chest, only for it to block him with its sword.

_You fight on… relentlessly,_ the phantom said. _But you do not fight for yourself._

Meg and Jason stood back-to-back as they clashed against more phantoms, their Blades supporting them. Jin, Nia and Roc teamed up to protect their Driver from behind, while Ethan and Poppi helped Sonum, Mika, Dromarch, Kasandra, and Wulfric deal with their phantoms.

"I fight for… my friends!" Frank declared.

The Aegis Driver and the phantom clashed again before locking swords once more.

_I have been waiting for so long, _the phantom said. _For one such as you._

Suddenly a bright light shone down from the ceiling and the phantoms disappeared. Everyone watched in awe as the light filled the room.

**In an unknown plane**

Frank found himself on a hill with a single tree overlooking what looked to be a city. A loud bell sound could be heard occasionally. He wasn't alone, however, as there was a man with silver hair and golden eyes by the tree. He wore silver and yellow armor that exposed his shoulders along with black gloves and boots.

"My name is Addam," the man said suddenly. "And I am long departed from this world."

Frank gasped as he recognized the man's voice was the same as the phantom's. "No way. You're Addam?"

"What is your name, boy?"

"Frank. Frank Ladair. Where are we?"

"This is Elysium," Addam replied. "Or at least, a vision of it from Mythra and Pyra's memories. Five hundred years ago, I tried to come here, but failed. It is only thanks to you that I can finally gaze upon it. You are the one who brought me here."

"Really?" Frank questioned. "I didn't really do anything though."

Addam chuckled and turned to face the Driver. "I see that you inherited my humbleness. It's good to know that some things don't change over time."

Frank's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait… You know that I'm…?"

"My descendant," Addam finished. "That I do. You have made me proud with all the things you have accomplished. Mythra and Pyra were wise to make you their new Driver." He looked over the hill towards the town. "This land is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Frank agreed as he approached the former Aegis Driver. "It makes me look forward to when I finally reach this place myself."

Addam then returned his gaze to his descendant. "Frank, what is it that you seek? Wealth? Power? Dominion?"

Frank scratched his head sheepishly. "None of those, really." He paused. "Actually, power would be useful."

"Power, then?" Addam pressed.

"The power to protect," Frank corrected.

"Protect what?"

Frank sighed. "You really know how to put a guy on the spot. There are a lot of things I want to protect. Azurda, Nia, Meg, Jason, Mika, Sonum, the people in Fonsett, my cousin Niall, Jin… and Pyra and Mythra."

"You are greedy, Frank," Addam said simply, resting his hand on his waist.

The Aegis Driver couldn't help but laugh. "Eh, Mythra's called me worse."

"It is not necessary to protect everything," Addam continued. "There is a limit that one man can do."

"That's true," Frank replied. "I think that's what Marth was trying to tell me. To not go it alone, like he did."

Addam's eyes briefly widened in disbelief at the mention of the name, which caught Frank's notice. "Marth, so then he…" he muttered before speaking up. "He sounds like a wise man. I can tell that there is something special about you."

"And that is…?"

"The power to accept her," Addam explained. Frank knew he was talking about Mythra and Pyra. "She is afraid. Afraid of her own power and of her terrible destiny. And I too, was afraid. I feared the true power of the Aegis." Addam chuckled to himself. "But you, Frank, you weren't afraid of her power and accepted her for who she is. Your will to fight comes from your will to protect. Blades and mortals are linked. When you take on the weight of all the fear she carries, only then you will be her _true_ Driver."

A blinding light forced Frank to shield his eyes. Once the light died down, Frank found himself back in the chamber with his friends.

"Frank! Frank!" Nia called out in concern, finally getting her Driver's attention. "What happened? You haven't said anything since the ghosts disappeared."

"Don't worry," Frank replied, the Catalyst Scimitar strapped to the back of his waist. "I'm alright." He turned towards the pillar and approached it. Suddenly the pillar opened up and revealed a double-edged gray sword with a green Aegis crystal embedded in the hilt.

"That's…" Jin said.

"The third sword," Meg finished.

Frank grabbed the sword's hilt with his right hand and pulled it out. He then laid it parallel with his arm and stared at its crystal. Suddenly the Aegis crystal in the sword began glowing with green light. Frank gasped as he saw a vision of Earth surrounded by a single metallic ring that lit up with white light. The vision then transitioned to a burst of light somewhere deep in space. He then saw a strange console with four holes, which strangely resembled Aegis cores, before the vision ended with Frank seeing half of Klaus's face, however, the Klaus he saw was much much older than the one he knew.

"What the…?" Frank muttered in shock. Suddenly the third Aegis Sword dissolved into ether, shocking the Blades and other Drivers.

"The Aegis Sword!" Dromarch exclaimed.

"But why did it break?" Ethan asked in confusion.

"Maybe it was just down here for too long," Meg guessed.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mika protested bitterly. "We came all the way here, had to fight for our lives, only for the stupid thing to break after a few seconds?!"

Strangely, Frank was actually calm about the whole ordeal. "Don't worry," he said. "It's okay."

"How can it be okay?!" Sonum exclaimed. "Pyra's true sword just broke!"

Frank let out a light grunt before facing his comrades. "Did you guys forget how Blade weapons work? All we did was release the sword's seal. We now have everything we need to save Mythra and Pyra."

Meg folded her arms curiously. "You realized something, haven't you, Brother?" the Flamebringer questioned. "Something important, that the rest of us can't see."

The Aegis Driver nodded. "Yes. I finally figured out what we need to do… what I need to do."

"Okay," Nia said questionably. "But we don't even know where Zeke and his lot took Pyra. They could be anywhere by now."

Frank formed a confident grin on his face. "Not exactly. Guys, do you remember what Mythra and the others told us when we became Drivers?"

The other Drivers gasped in realization as the memory resurfaced. "Of course," Mika said. "A Driver and Blade are connected through resonance. They can always find each other, no matter how far apart they are. That was one of the first things Kasandra and the others taught us."

"Which means we have a way to track down Zeke and his accomplices," Roc added. "Through Frank and Pyra's bond."

The Aegis Driver nodded in confirmation. "Exactly. No matter how powerful my father is, even he can't hide Pyra from me. It's high time Zeke meets his match!"

Aegaeon bowed his head in respect. "We're with you, Lord Frank. Lead the way!"

Frank proceeded to lead his friends out of the Spirit Crucible Elpys, with Nia, Jin, and Roc standing faithfully by his side.

As they hurried out, Frank turned his thoughts to Addam and what he said. _'Why did Addam react that way when I mentioned Marth's name to him?'_ Frank questioned. _'If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he knew Marth, but that's impossible. Something's not adding up here.'_

**To be continued**


	34. Chapter 34: The Cliffs of Morytha

**Chapter 34- The Cliffs of Morytha**

The party had finally managed to find their way out of the Spirit Crucible Elpys and made it to Fonsett Village. Corinne was surprised to see them back, and even more so to not see the Aegis with them. They quickly filled her in on recent events, prompting Corinne to let the party stay at her home to discuss their next course of action.

"Who'd have thought that Nia was a Blade all along?" Mika said.

"Actually, I knew from the start," Jin revealed. "But Nia made me promise not to tell anyone because she was afraid of what would happen."

"Mythra… also knew the truth about me," Nia said slowly.

Frank's eyes widened in shock. "What?! When?"

"It was back when we stayed at the inn in Alba Cavanich. When we were in the hot spring, Mythra saw my Core Crystal. I had her keep it a secret too, though. I'm sure it wasn't easy for her to not tell you."

The Aegis Driver nodded in understanding. "It's okay. I'm just glad that you finally opened up to us. You're a part of our team. It wouldn't be the same without you."

The Flesh Eater gave her Driver a light smile. "Thanks, Frank."

"Hey, wait a minute," Mika realized. "Me, Frank and Nia… we've all got some kind of deep Blade connection going on with us, haven't we?"

"To tell the truth," Meg admitted. "I am a little envious."

"Lady Meg?" Aegaeon said in concern.

"You know it could be arranged," Mika offered. "I have to warn you though, it will leave a scar."

"In that case, maybe not," Meg declined. She then noticed both Aegaeon and Brighid giving her strange looks. "N-no, that's not what I meant!" Meg said quickly. "It's just…"

Brighid gave her Driver a light-hearted smile. "Hehe. Relax," the Fire Blade reassured. "As much as I appreciate the sentiment, neither Aegaeon or I would want you to harm yourself."

Aegaeon nodded in agreement. "Indeed."

"Anyway," Ethan said, wanting to get back on topic. "Where do we go now, Frank? Where did Zeke take Pyra?"

"Hmm." The Aegis Driver closed his eyes and concentrated on his link with Pyra. "I see… the Great Void. The World Tree is nearby. And… there's a decaying Titan right by the edge of the Great Void." He then opened his eyes. "That's it. That's all I can find."

Meg paused to process the information. "Hmm. A decaying Titan by the Great Void," She mused. "It sounds like Pyra's at the Cliffs of Morytha. It's the only Titan that fits that description."

"Why am I not surprised that you know that?" Ethan questioned.

"I have heard the name 'Morytha' before, as well," Dromarch said. "There are tales… tales of a 'land of the dead'. And the cliffs that lead into its depths."

"Yes, indeed," Meg agreed. "The Land of Morytha… a place no soul has ever witnessed."

"Well that's definitely not creepy," Sonum said with a tremble.

"So how do we get to the Cliffs of Morytha?" Azurda asked. "I doubt any sailors would be willing to give us a ride there."

"Yeah," Jason added. "They won't be too keen on going so close to the World Tree."

"We need to go to Mor Ardain," Meg explained. "I can charter a military vessel there and we can use it to reach the Cliffs. It may not be the most efficient route, but at least we'll reach our destination."

Frank nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan. Let's hurry to Mor Ardain. Looks like we'll be seeing Niall again sooner than we realized."

**Meanwhile on the Marsanes**

Mikhail was working on the Core Crystal chamber when he heard Patroka approach him.

"Mik, you here again?" Patroka questioned. "Is it passion, or idiocy?"

"Patroka," Mikhail mused. "Just ask me out already."

"Piss off and die, Mik."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll get around to it one of these days," Mikhail joked.

"So… what are you doing, anyway?" Patroka asked curiously.

Mikhail stopped what he was doing and turned towards all the Core Crystals Torna had collected. "The Marsanes is the last Torna warship," he explained. "I'm readying it for battle with non-mortal opponents."

Patroka looked confused. "What are you talking about, 'non-mortal'…?"

Mikhail turned to face the Flesh Eater. "Hah." He folded his arms. "Surely you don't need me to tell you?"

Patroka's eyes widened as she realized what the Blade Eater meant. "You don't mean…?"

"Heh. Did you want something?"

"Umm…" Patroka paused as she tried to form a reply. "Oh, er, food's ready. Get it while it's hot."

"You came all the way here to tell me that?" Mikhail teased. "You've got quite the crush."

Patroka glared at the Blade Eater. "Mikhail!" she said angrily. "I'm going to crush your…"

"Okay, okay," Mikhail interrupted. "I better go and eat this delicious spread." He then left the chamber.

Once he was gone, Patroka's eyes were filled with concern. "Mik," she said quietly.

**Mor Ardain**

The party had reached the Ardainian palace, Hardhaigh. Meg had sent a message ahead of time to Niall, so they could leave upon arrival. Roc, Aegaeon, and Wulfric had disappeared, mostly to make traveling easier for the group. Nia now remained in her Blade form and had resonated with Frank.

The party met Niall at the port at Hardhaigh, where the ship was waiting.

"Welcome back, Meg, Frank," Niall greeted when he saw his cousins. "I heard of what happened in Tantal. You are free to use this vessel to reach the Cliffs of Morytha to rescue the Aegis."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Frank said in gratitude. "This means a lot to me."

The emperor smiled in response. "It is my pleasure. I am still shocked that my lord Uncle Zane is the leader of Torna. What could have changed to have made him like this?"

"We'll ask him ourselves when we run into him," Jin said.

"Please be careful out there," Niall warned. "The Cliffs of Morytha is a dangerous place. If you fall into the Great Void, you will be lost forever."

"Don't worry, Niall," Meg assured. "We will. We'll see you soon."

"Good luck to you all."

The party boarded the military ship and set off for the Cliffs of Morytha. It was going to be a long voyage, so they all decided to rest in the dorm rooms. Frank, Jin, Azurda, and Jason shared one room, Mika, Ethan, and Dromarch shared another while the girls shared another.

Jason was laying down on his bed when Frank suddenly said, "Hey Jason. Remember when you asked me if I preferred Mythra or Pyra?"

"Yeah," the Thunderbolt replied. "What about it?" Both Jin and Azurda were also curious but chose to remain silent.

"I think I finally figured it out. Even though they're the same person, Mythra's the one I know the most. Sure, she can be a handful at times, and she drags me around everywhere, but she means well. Pyra, on the other hand, I think I've only viewed her as a sister, nothing more."

"So you're saying that you like Mythra then? As in you _really_ like her?"

Frank slowly nodded. "Yeah. I guess so."

Jason recalled that during the party's trip to Mor Ardain, Frank had told him and the others that after the phantoms vanished, he met with his ancestor, the legendary hero Addam himself. One of the things that stuck out for the Thunderbolt was Addam mentioning that Frank had accepted the Aegis for who she is. He now knew for sure that Addam had meant Mythra.

"Interesting," Jason whispered.

"What was that?" Frank asked, having overheard the Tantalese prince.

"Nothing."

The Aegis Driver shrugged before laying down on his bed. '_Mythra, Pyra, hang on a little longer,'_ he thought to himself. _'We're coming.'_ Frank then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

**Later**

The party had finally arrived at the Cliffs of Morytha. Despite being on a rotting Titan, there was no foul odor in the air. There was also plant life as well. The World Tree towered over the party, as if taunting them to climb it.

"So these are the Cliffs of Morytha," Ethan said.

"A rotting Titan," Meg added. "Drifting aimlessly until death takes it."

"I just remembered something," Jin said. "This place is a shortcut to the World Tree. I bet once Malos is done with Pyra, he's going to head for Elysium."

"Makes sense," Azurda said, who was sitting in Frank's hood. "Morytha is the closest Titan to the World Tree."

"Then let's push on," Frank said. "Pyra's here somewhere. We need to find her."

**Meanwhile**

Pyra screamed in pain as Malos kept extracting data from her crystal. Glowing purple lines were covering her body. Pyra struggled to break free, but to no avail.

Malos began seeing the memories of his fellow Aegis. Of when she first met Frank, Mythra attending Fonsett Academy with him, to them fighting alongside Marth and the Alfheim Warriors on Temporal Island. Malos scoffed in disdain. "Pathetic," he said. "Look at all this trash. Huh?" Malos began increasing the intensity of the extraction, causing Pyra even more pain.

**Back to the group**

Suddenly Frank keeled over in pain, clutching his chest tightly.

"Frank!" Nia exclaimed in worry as she helped her Driver remain standing.

"Brother! Are you alright?" Meg asked in concern.

Frank didn't answer as he tried to collect himself from the pain. His breathing became harder. "I… I'm… fine," Frank struggled to say as he straightened out.

"Could it be… Is Pyra in danger?" Azurda questioned.

"I… I don't know," Frank said, worry etched in his voice. "But we need to hurry! I've got a really bad feeling."

The party then hurried off.

**Meanwhile**

Pyra, in her mind, was running away from Malos as he kept taking her memories, despite her best efforts to resist him.

"Why are you running?!" Malos demanded. "Why are you protecting this garbage?! We Aegises don't need these things! You want to be free of them as I do!"

"Stop it!" Pyra refused. "I'm not like you at all!"

Suddenly Malos appeared before her, forcing her to a stop. The male Aegis raised his right hand, trapping Pyra in bonds of purple energy. He then continued to extract Pyra's data.

"Stop!" Pyra begged desperately. "Stop stealing my memories! No!" Pyra then disappeared into purple light.

Malos then found himself in a hanger with an Artifice that was black on the right, and white on the left. It, like the other Artifices, had a green Aegis crystal on its chest.

"Well damn, Father," Malos said. "Look what you've been hiding away." He cupped his right fist in his left hand. "All right, then. If that's what you want, I'll do it for you!"

However, there was something else hiding in the corner of the hanger that caught his eye. It was a door that led to another room. Curiosity got the better of the Aegis and he went inside to investigate it. Inside, he found a black dragon-like Artifice with a silver Aegis core on its chest. It also looked strangely familiar to Marth's dragon form, but since its core was dark, the Artifice was most likely inactive.

"Interesting," Malos mused. "I wonder if this thing is for my _other _partner. Regardless, it won't do me any good with the state it's in right now. I'll just stick with Aion."

The male Aegis, his core now fully repaired, returned to reality and found himself back at the ruins on the Cliffs of Morytha. He turned to Pyra and saw that she was no longer moving.

"Sorry, Pyra, Mythra," Malos said solemnly. "It had to be done." He went over to Zeke, who was staring at the World Tree while in his armored form. "It is done. Once we establish a link with what Mikhail is preparing on the Marsanes, everything will be complete."

"And the Aegis?" Zeke asked.

"Oh, that?" Malos eyed Pyra in disapproval. "It's not an Aegis any more. Just a lump of meat."

The Blade Eater felt a pang of guilt at seeing the state Pyra was in. '_Is this really what we… what I wanted?_' Zeke asked himself before shaking his head. '_No. I've come too far to back down now! This world will pay for their mistakes, as will the Architect._'

Malos then brought out the Omega Fetter and held it up. "Come out, Ophion!" the male Aegis called out.

Suddenly a large purple serpentile Artifice rose from the Great Void. Both Torna members were confused when they saw a golden halo appear above its head, signaling that the Artifice was about to attack. Ophion fired a blast of purple energy at the duo, but Malos protected the both with a purple defensive barrier.

"Clever girl," Malos said. "It has its own attack instinct, making it capable of autonomous action." He glanced at Pyra and smirked. "She knew that. That's why she came quietly."

"Can you reprogram it?" Zeke asked.

Malos chuckled in amusement. "It's like you read my mind. Stand back!" Malos jumped off towards Ophion and punched it in the head with a fist of purple energy. The collision created a powerful shockwave that shook the entire Titan.

**Back to the group**

Frank and his friends nearly lost their balance as the Titan shook.

"Wha-what's going on?!" Sonum exclaimed in fear.

Soon the ground settled down. "Was that an earthquake?" Jason questioned.

Pandoria shook her head. "In a place like this?"

"Whatever it was, it's close," Meg said.

Frank nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Stay on-guard, everyone."

The party continued traveling across the cliffside towards the direction Pyra was in. Eventually they reached the edge of the cliff, the only way forward being too far to reach.

"Now what?" Ethan said.

Frank looked up and saw wooden platforms built into the cliff, leading across the void to the other side.

"There's a wooden platform directly above us," Frank explained. "I can reach it with my grapple." He then summoned Roc. "Roc, Poppi, I'll need your help to get the others up. It'll take forever if I do it by myself."

"Got it," Roc said. "I'll use my winds to carry them up."

"And I'm strong enough to carry them with ease," Poppi added. "Leave it to us."

Frank then aimed his grapple above him and fired at the platform. The hook embedded itself into the wood, and once Frank made sure the line was secure, he reeled himself in and got onto the platform. Roc used his scythes to create a green tornado that lifted Sonum, Dromarch and Jin off the ground and to the platform.

Poppi showed off her incredible strength by grabbing both Jason and Ethan by the arm and taking off towards the wooden platform. Once the Drivers were secure, the artificial Blade went back for the others. Frank used his grapple to pull Nia, Meg and Kasandra (individually of course) up. Roc and Poppi then got the others before returning to the platform. The wood creaked as the party stood on it.

"Good thinking, Frank," Jin said as Roc vanished. "Now we can continue."

Nia examined the boards with disdain. "Let's take it slow, though. These things look like they'll break at any minute."

"Agreed," Brighid said. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather not fall into the Great Void."

Mika looked down at the Void and gulped nervously. To absolutely no one's surprise, and their amusement, the Chaosbringer clutched the cliffside fiercely. The party slowly made their way across the ravine before reaching the other side. There, they found ruins of what seemed to be a religious place. They then entered the ruins and found themselves face-to-face with Malos.

"Malos!" Frank exclaimed in anger.

The male Aegis had his Core Crystal shown prominently on his chest. He was also wielding a large curved single-edged black sword in his right hand.

"You're finally here," Malos said. "I've been expecting you." He eyed Nia with interest. "Well, well, Nia. So you were a Blade after all… and a Flesh Eater no less. Decided to give up your little human act and resonate with that boy, have you?"

Nia scoffed. "That isn't any of your concern, Malos! Now where's Pyra?!"

Malos simply shrugged. "Hell if I know," he answered nonchalantly. "She's probably dead by now."

Frank brought his fist to his core. "If I'm alive, then she's alive!" the Aegis Driver declared.

The male Aegis sneered. "Think whatever you like. But don't be mad at me. All I'm doing is reclaiming what was stolen from me. You're never going to see her again!" Malos laughed as he saw Frank grit his teeth in frustration. "Heh. You make me laugh, you know that? Look at you. That naïve brat I fought back on Earth, standing here with the gall to challenge me?"

"Someone has to!" Frank interrupted in a fierce tone. "We won't lose to you!"

Suddenly, Malos's sword activated, revealing a white kanji symbol in the guard. "You did well to make it this far," the Aegis said as his core lit up. "But… you end here, boy!" Malos's Monado emitted dark purple energy.

Suddenly the ground beneath the party was covered in dark energy. They all instinctively moved away as an explosion of energy engulfed where they were previously standing. A large hole was all that remained of it. Mika, who was the closest to it, nearly fell in, but Kasandra pulled him back to safety.

"Agh!" Jason said before drawing his sword. "What the hell is this?!" He charged at Malos, a gold aura surrounding him and Pandoria, who was transferring power to him. The Thunderbolt swung his sword down on the Aegis, but Malos easily repelled him by surrounding himself with a dark energy dome. Jason then found himself pushed back and saw that his sword was nearly consumed by the energy, with most of the blade having been disintigrated. His gold aura also faded.

"What the hell?" Jason said in confusion.

"Careful!" Jin exclaimed in warning. "Malos's power will destroy anything it touches! You're lucky it didn't take your arm off, Jason!"

Ethan growled in frustration. "That's just great! What should we do?!"

Malos chuckled in amusement. "Poor, helpless, little _maggots_!" Malos extended the dark dome until it collided with Jason.

The Tantalese prince closed his eyes as he braced for the end, but nothing happened. Instead, he opened his eyes and found himself protected by a barrier of water, healing him and also restoring his sword.

Jason glanced over his shoulder and saw that Nia was responsible for it. "Thanks, Nia."

"Anytime," the Flesh Eater said. "I should've used this power sooner. But I was afraid. Afraid to go back to those days… So many people have gotten hurt because I was afraid." Her eyes filled with resolve. "But someone taught me that I don't have to be afraid! Now I get it. My life has a purpose!"

The two conflicting barriers then cancelled each other out.

"Your power might destroy, Malos," Nia continued as her scimitar appeared in her hand and pointed the tip of it at the Aegis. "But my power restores. As long as my friends have the will to live, that's all I need. There is no wound you can inflict that I cannot heal! Blade weapons too! They were born from us and can be healed just the same. Frank! Everyone! It's time to end this!" Nia then returned her scimitar to her Driver.

"Yeah!" Frank said in agreement as he took on a fighting stance.

The other Drivers, and Jin, then drew their weapons and readied for battle. Malos charged at Frank, his Monado clashing against the Driver's Catalyst Scimitar. Frank then rolled to the side, allowing Jin to move in and clashed swords with Malos, sparks flying off their blades.

"Well this looks familiar," Malos mused as he tried to overpower the Ice Blade. "Reminds me of when we fought in the Aegis War."

Jin grunted as he put his left hand to the back of his blade as he tried to push back Malos's sword. "Indeed. But this time, you're going down!"

Suddenly blue flames and dark energy came at Malos from the side. The Aegis quickly backed away from Jin and activated Monado Armor, which was a purple barrier that blocked the attacks.

"You'll have to do better than that," Malos chided to Meg and Mika.

The party then had Malos surrounded. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Aegis stood his ground, constantly blocking their attacks and countering (even though they were blocked as well). Malos then unleashed Monado Cyclone, which was an upward spinning slash that forced everyone back.

The Flamebringer used Hellfire, which inflicted a breaking sensation onto Malos. Frank quickly followed by firing his grapple at Malos's leg before using it to topple the Aegis. Jason then launched Malos into the air with Stratospheric Thunder before Mika smashed the Aegis into the ground with Vasjra Blow.

Malos was injured from the Driver Combo, but he was able to pick himself back up and resume fighting. Ethan charged at him, saber in hand, and tried to attack him with Vorpal Slash, but Malos quickly parried the Art with his Monado.

"Man, Malos is tough," Mika said.

"Well, he _is_ an Aegis," Jin remarked as he tightened his grip on his nodachi. "He's not going to go down easily."

Malos simply chuckled in amusement. "Like I'd lose to a bunch of maggots!" His sword then summoned a long blade of purple energy. "Monado Buster!" Malos shouted as he brought his sword down on Sonum and Mika. Sonum managed to roll out of the way in time, but Mika morphed his hammer into a shield in an attempt to block it. However, when the Art collided with his shield, Mika was forced to his knees and was unable to move.

"Mika!" Kasandra exclaimed in worry.

Frank came to his friend's rescue by charging at Malos. Once he was close enough, Frank unleashed Hydro Blast, which had him swing his scimitar at Malos, sending a powerful torrent of water that knocked the Aegis back, freeing Mika.

"Thanks," Mika said in gratitude as he approached his best friend.

"No problem," Frank replied before using Redemption to heal the Chaosbringer's injuries.

Malos, on the other hand, looked furious. "I'm gonna kill you!" the Aegis declared as he advanced towards the Aegis Driver.

"Don't you know when to give up, Malos?" Nia questioned as she took the Catalyst Scimitar from Frank and charged at Malos.

The two Blades soon clashed swords, with Malos using Monado Eater (which was the same attack he used against Jason) and Nia using Merciful Heart (the attack she used to save Jason).

"Gah!" Malos shouted in frustration. "That's such an annoying power!"

"So sorry," Nia said sarcastically. "You've gotta be stopped." She brought her left hand to the back of her blade, attempting to push Malos's Monado away. "You're a menace to the entire world!"

"Is that so? Oh, you sweet-talker, Nia," the Aegis remarked. He then overpowered the Flesh Eater and knocked her back towards her Driver.

"Don't you see how weak you are?" Malos continued, resting his sword on his shoulder. "Heal all you want, but you can't even scratch me. Where are your claws, kitty?"

"Hmph," Nia grunted before smirking. "Very well. Then I'll show you! You asked for it!" Out of everyone present, only Jin knew what the Flesh Eater was about to do. Nia faced her Driver and said, "Frank! Help me out!"

The Aegis Driver nodded in acknowledgement. "All right."

"Follow my lead!" Nia then held her sword out to Frank, prompting him to grab it as well. They were then surrounded by a golden aura as they raised the Catalyst Scimitar skyward.

"Divine Sword!" Frank and Nia exclaimed in sync as a tornado of water surrounded them, forcing the others to shield their eyes. Frank then charged at Malos, who tried to keep the former back by sending out a dark shockwave from his sword, but Frank just jumped over it. Frank then brought his scimitar to his side as he descended, with Nia mimicking his movements, with water pouring out of their sword/hand respectively. With a shout, Frank swung his scimitar at Malos, sending a blast of water-like energy at the Aegis. However, Malos simply destroyed it with a single slash with his sword. He then found himself surrounded by spheres of water.

"What? Is that it?" Malos chided as the spheres were absorbed into his body. "I hardly even felt it." Suddenly Malos's body began glowing purple and began bloating, which was very painful for the Aegis.

"Gaaahh!" Malos exclaimed as he keeled over. "N-Nia! Wh-what have you done to me?!"

"I altered the replication rate of your cells," Nia said as she moved to her Driver's side. "Even an immortal Blade is made from the same stuff as any other being. I used that to my advantage."

Purple ether began bursting out from Malos, which knocked him towards the cliff.

"I've just got one thing left to say to you, Malos," Nia continued. "The place that I belong…" She looked over to all her friends, especially Frank and Jin. "Is right here."

"Niaaaa!" Malos shouted in rage before falling backwards off the cliff.

**To be continued**


	35. Chapter 35: The True Aegis

**Chapter 35- The True Aegis**

Frank and Nia went over to the edge of the cliff and looked down. There they saw that Malos had hit a ledge at the bottom of the ruins, just barely avoided falling into the Great Void, and wasn't moving.

"Is he… dead?" Frank questioned slowly.

"Not likely," Jin said, prompting the duo to turn and face him. "Malos is an Aegis. He's not going to go down that easily. At the very least, we just slowed him down."

"In that case, we should get out of here before Malos comes back," Nia replied.

Frank nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Pyra's just up ahead. I only hope we're not too late."

They then rejoined the others before continuing onward.

"Man, Nia, I'm glad you're on our side," Ethan remarked. "That power was intense."

"Minoth told me that Flesh Eaters, very rarely, can gain unique abilities," Frank said. "Are your healing powers so strong because of it?"

"Yes. After my last Driver made me consume the flesh of his daughter when she died, it gave me a human form and enhanced my healing powers. I can heal any injure no matter how severe by altering the replication rate in a being's cells. That's how I was able to save the emperor after Bana's attack."

"So that's how you saved His Majesty," Brighid mused. "Impressive. We're lucky to have you, Nia."

They then made their way to another set of ancient ruins, but their path was blocked off by a closed gate.

"Great," Pandoria remarked. "Anybody see a lever or something to open this?"

Poppi looked around and said, "I don't see anything that could open the gate. It must be on the other side."

"Well that makes zero sense," Sonum complained. "So now what?"

Kasandra then noticed an opening in the cliff near them. "Hey guys. I see an opening over there. Maybe it's another way we can get across."

"Well it's not like we've got anything to lose," Jin mused. "Let's go!"

The party went through the opening Kasandra showed them. There, they found a wall of ivy that led up. They began climbing the ivy until they reached the top of another cliff, which had some ruins on the right.

"Hey guys," Mika said, pointing at the ruins. "There's someone over there!"

The others turned to look and saw a man with a Blade, sitting in the ruins.

"I didn't think that other people come to the Cliffs of Morytha," Frank said.

"That must be Gladiator Orion," Meg theorized. "He's one of the strongest Drivers in Alrest. However, he tends to keep to himself and only fights worthy opponents."

"Does that mean he won't help us?" Ethan asked.

"I doubt it. If anything, that would make us look inferior to him. Let's just keep moving."

The group then jumped down a couple of ledges before they found themselves behind the gate. Conviently, they also found the lever to open the gate, which Frank pulled to open it.

"This would've been more helpful if it was on the _other side_," Frank complained.

Nia groaned in annoyance. "Seriously, Frank? Can we focus on saving Pyra first, _then_ complain about the poor design choices of these ruins?"

The party then hurried through the ruins, before reaching a platform where Zeke was.

"Pyra!" Frank called out, prompting the Blade Eater to turn towards his son, unintentionally revealing the comatose Aegis behind him. The party was shocked at the sight.

"You missed the highlight," Zeke said nonchalantly. "We already have everything we need from her."

Frank gritted his teeth in anger as he glared daggers at his father. "Father! What did you do to her?!"

"I already told you," said a familiar voice. The group turned and saw Malos, who was back to normal, approach them. "I'm just trying to get back what was stolen from me five centuries ago."

Jin glared at the male Aegis as he circled around them. "Malos. I knew you were still alive!"

Malos chuckled in amusement. "Of course I'm still alive," he said as he went over to Zeke's side. "You didn't think you could put me down that easily, did you? I am an Aegis! Don't underestimate me."

"You did this to her?!" Frank questioned in anger.

"She betrayed herself as an Aegis by forming a bond with a piece of human trash," Malos explained. "She tried so pathetically hard to hold on to her memories of you. But in the end, I got them all."

Frank gritted his teeth in anger and balled his fists.

"She put up a brave little fight," Malos continued before saying in a mocking voice, "'Please don't steal my memories!' Cute stuff like that. Sorry, boy. You came to this desolate place for nothing. Do you really want this useless husk? Go ahead and take it!" Malos grabbed Pyra's body and threw it at the Aegis Driver.

Pyra landed right in front of her Driver, prompting Frank to kneel beside her and lift her up. "Pyra! Mythra!" Frank called out but got no reply from the female Aegis. His eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm so sorry, Pyra… Mythra. We made it this far, but…"

"Frank," Nia said quietly.

"Brother," Meg added.

Frank then set Pyra down gently and rose to his feet. "Jin," he said simply.

"On it," the Paragon of Torna replied as he moved to Frank's side and gave his Driver the Ice Nodachi.

Frank handed the Catalyst Scimitar back to Nia and calmly said, "Sonum. Dromarch. Look after Pyra."

"Understood," Sonum said as she and Dromarch got in front of the female Aegis in a protective manner.

Malos sneered at Frank, looking somewhat impressed. "Wow. I thought you'd start bawling and charge at me," Malos commented. "You've actually grown up a little."

"You know, I just realized something recently," Frank said slowly as he looked up at the sky, confusing the male Aegis. "Ever since I met Marth, I tried to copy him so I could match his strength. But now I know that was stupid. He gained his strength by following his path, like Mythra and Pyra did. If I want to find my true strength, then I must walk my _own_ path!"

"What are you blabbering about?" Malos questioned.

"I may have been stupid, but I've decided on what my path will be!"

"Oho," Malos said in amusement. "What have you decided? You've come all this way, I'll hear you out."

Frank simply faced the Torna members and said with determination, "Isn't it obvious? I'll pound you into oblivion and then I'll take Pyra and Mythra to Elysium!"

Malos burst out laughing. "Seriously? Me and Zeke? You couldn't take Zeke on even with Mythra!" He brought his sword to his shoulder. "And on top of that, I've regained control of all my Aegis powers! Not to mention the Artifices! You're doomed, boy."

"No, I'm not."

Malos pointed his sword at Pyra and said, "That _thing_ is just a used-up shell. You can't rely on it to save you, boy."

"Is that so?" Frank questioned. "I finally understand what Pyra and Mythra wanted. And I understand what I have to do to make it happen! I know what it means to be Driver and Blade!"

Zeke gasped in shock before drawing his sword.

"Everyone!" Frank called out, prompting the others to draw their weapons. "Stand with me one more time!" He took on a fighting stance. "Let's get Mythra and Pyra back, then head for Elysium!"

The battle between the party and Torna began. Frank, Nia and Meg focused on fighting Zeke, who was still as evasive as before, making it difficult for them to land a single hit on him. Jason led the others against Malos, who looked amused with fighting so many opponents. Sonum and Dromarch, on the other hand, focused on protecting Pyra.

Zeke attempted to slash at the Aegis Driver's chest, but Jin intercepted him with a defensive barrier. Frank then unleashed the Art, Stream Edge, which was a horizontal slash, hitting his father across the waist, knocking him back. The Flamebringer promptly used Judgement in an attempt to injure the Blade Eater, but Zeke managed move out of the way before countering by slashing Meg in the side. Nia quickly used her powers to heal the Special Inquistor, allowing the Driver to continue fighting without worry.

Jason and the others weren't having as much luck as them. Malos's powers were just as dangerous as before, forcing them on the defensive. Jason, Ethan, and Mika tried their best to meet the Aegis's attacks head-on, but neither of them could land a decent blow on him. Malos's Monado Cyclone nearly blew Mika off the cliff had Wulfric not appeared and pulled his Driver back up to safety.

Meg then summoned Aegaeon, using his chrome katana to fight with. She then used Eclipse Blade, which was a single high-speed diagnonal slash, but Zeke simply parried it. However, he failed to notice Jin right behind him, Ice Nodachi in hand.

"Hailstrike!" Jin exclaimed before performing a series of high-speed slashes on the Tornan leader. Zeke was able to block most of them, but only just barely, however the ones he couldn't deflect struck him in his arms. Jin then returned his sword to his Driver.

Things didn't let up however as Meg switched back to Brighid and tossed her the whipswords. The Fire Blade then unleashed Will-o'-the-Wisp, damaging Zeke with blue fire. Nia soon followed with Redeeming Strike, which had her swing her scimitar at Zeke, sending bolts of water at him before briefly surrounding the Blade Eater with a vortex of water. When the water parted, however, Zeke was still able to fight.

"Seriously?!" Nia exclaimed in annoyance. "How can he still be standing after all that?"

Brighid shared the same expression. "We must keep trying. Everyone has a weakness."

"Not me," Zeke said coldly before surrounding himself in black mist.

The Drivers and Blades were forced to shield their eyes as a powerful gust of freezing wind hit them. Once it stopped, they saw that they were now fighting Malos, while Zeke was clashing against Jason and the others.

"You've got to be kidding," Frank cursed.

"What?" Malos said in mock innocence. "I couldn't let Zeke have all the fun."

Malos then charged at Frank, sparks dancing through the air as their swords clashed. Meg then intercepted them by blocking Malos's Monado with her whipswords. Malos was able to push the Flamebringer back but was unable to stop Frank from injuring him in the side with Ultraslash.

"You'll pay for that," Malos said firmly. He swung his sword at the Aegis Driver, cutting him in the chest, while also knocking him towards Pyra.

Nia then surrounded her Driver in a dome of water, healing his injuries.

Malos groaned in annoyance. "Have I mentioned how irritating that ability is?"

"You did mention that," Nia replied. Suddenly black mist surrounded the area, canceling out the Flesh Eater's powers, while also making the air frigid. "What?" Nia said in confusion before falling to her knees. "Is this… ice?"

Jin realized what was going on and eyed the Torna Blade Eater. "Zeke! You're doing this, aren't you?!"

"Of course," Zeke answered. "This is part of my powers. I can unleash the power of ice, just like you, Paragon of Torna. You may have awesome regenerative powers, Nia, but everything stops at absolute zero."

Meg shivered from the cold. "A-absolute zero?" she questioned.

"They're vulnerable!" Malos declared. "Let's end this, Zeke!"

Malos charged at Nia, while Zeke used his speed to appear in front of Frank. Malos attempted a downward slash on the Flesh Eater, but Nia quickly blocked it with her Catalyst Scimitar. She then saw that Frank was in a losing battle with Zeke, his father slowly overpowering him with each clash, despite Jin trying desperately to support him.

"Frank!" Nia exclaimed in worry. She then cried out in pain as Malos struck her in the waist, causing her to fall onto her back.

"I'm not done with you yet!" Malos declared as he prepared to finish the Blade off.

"Nia!" Meg shouted. The Flamebringer then appeared in front of the Flesh Eater and blocked the Monado with her whipswords, but found herself unable to repel it.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Jason exclaimed as he and Pandoria attempting to attack the Aegis from above. However, Malos raised his other hand at them and blocked their attack with a barrier of dark ether. The barrier then exploded, knocking both the Tantalese prince and his Blade back. Malos then did the same with Meg, forcing her to the ground.

"Aw, too bad," Malos taunted, while Jason simply grunted in frustration. The Aegis then noticed Sonum and Dromarch advancing towards him from the side and easily repelled them.

Ethan, Poppi, Mika and Kasandra tried to support Frank and Jin as they fought Zeke, but the Torna leader effortlessly blocked their attacks and forced them to the ground with a single attack.

"Guys!" Frank exclaimed in concern.

Zeke then swung his sword at his son's chest, but Jin blocked it with a defensive barrier.

"Stay focused, Frank!" Jin said.

Frank gritted his teeth in frustration. "I know!"

Zeke then destroyed Jin's barrier before slashing at the Ice Blade's leg, forcing him to his knees as he clutched his wound.

"No one to help you now, _son_," Zeke declared.

Frank was forced on the defensive as he tried to block all of his father's attacks, while trying to land his own.

_Enough!_ Pyra said weakly in Frank's head, surprising him, but not enough to distract him from the fight. _Just give up, Frank! Forget about us!_

_Frank, please listen to what we have to say,_ Mythra said as she and Pyra appeared behind their Driver, though only as spirits that only he could sense. _Our power has done nothing but bring you pain. It would be better if such a power didn't exist._

The Aegis Driver wanted to reply but stopped himself as he tried to defend against Zeke.

_We told you we wanted to go to Elysium, _Pyra said. _But, the reason why we wanted to go there was to beg our father to let us die._

_So forget us, Frank!_ Mythra begged. _For the sake of the world, abandon us!_

"Abandon you?" Frank questioned as he locked swords with Zeke, sparks coming off their weapons. "Not likely. When you are injured, I feel your pain. When you feel pain," Frank then pushed Zeke away, "I feel the sorrow in your heart."

Malos chuckled in amusement. "What the hell?" Malos asked as he fought off the other Drivers. "Has he finally cracked?"

"Frank?" Jin muttered, also wondering what was happening to his Driver.

"Listen, I failed you when you needed me the most," Frank pressed further. "I won't make that mistake again!"

_You can make it to Elysium! _Pyra reasoned. _You can make it… with or without us!_

Mythra lowered her head in regret.

"Tell me, what would be the point in that?" Frank said as he continued to fight Zeke. "I told you that I'd take you to Elysium. That was the only reason why I wanted to go there. That's the reason why we've come this far. We're going to Elysium _together,_ no matter what!"

Both Aegis girls were shocked.

_Frank,_ Mythra and Pyra said together, with the former covering her mouth with her hands.

"That's a promise. If there's anything I've learned from Marth, it's to fight for what I believe in," Frank continued. "I'm going to Elysium for _you_! I'm doing all this for _you_!" The Aegis Driver then surprised everyone by repelling Zeke.

Zeke could swear that he saw a visage of a black wolf appear briefly around Frank as he did so, before it quickly faded.

"We'll do it together!" Frank vowed. "We'll find your place in this world! We'll find out where we're heading, and we'll take control of our own destinies!" Meanwhile Zeke prepared to charge at his son to finish him off. "So believe me! I won't let the world burn a second time! So Mythra, Pyra, join me!"

Suddenly time seemed to slow down as Zeke charged at the Aegis Driver and swung his sword at his chest. Frank then found himself in a strange space hanger with both Mythra and Pyra. Right behind the girls was the same black-and-white Artifice that Malos saw.

"This is our whole being," Pyra explained. "This is the power we were granted at birth."

"So, Frank," Mythra added. "Are you still sure you want this?"

Frank smiled at the girls. "Tell me," he said simply. "Do you love this world?"

Pyra paused before answering, "…Yes. Nia, Jin, Azurda… and you Frank. I love this world, because you're in it." Mythra simply smiled with joy.

"Well then!" Frank then extended his hands to both girls.

The two Aegises looked at each other and nodded. Together, they approached their Driver, and each took one of his hands. Frank then returned back to reality, where a glowing green Aegis core forced Zeke's sword away.

"Wh-what?" Zeke exclaimed in shock. "How?!"

With a mighty cry, Frank reached out with his right hand, the Ice Nodachi had disappeared, and grabbed the hilt of the third Aegis Sword as it materialized from the core. Blinding green light shone from the sword, forcing Zeke away. The Blade Eater watched in awe as his son swung the Aegis Sword as it activated, a translucent green blade shown out of the sword.

Malos, who was surrounded by Nia and the other Drivers, were all shocked at the sight.

"That sword!?" Malos exclaimed in disbelief.

"Brother…!" Meg said in disbelief.

Pyra's body then floated in the air, behind Frank, and unleashed a bright green light. Once the light died down, Pyra's appearance had changed. She now had long emerald-green hair that was tied back in a ponytail. Her outfit changed into futuristic silver-black armor with green and blue edges. Her boots gained high heels and her tiara gained a purple v-shaped crystal with a thin green crystal in the middle. Two mechanical wings appeared on the sides of her legs, before they quickly closed up. On her chestplate, written in Greek, was the word 'pneuma'. Pyra then descended gently on the ground and opened her eyes, which were now green, matching her hair. Her Core Crystal, like Frank's, was also shining.

Frank turned towards the green-haired Aegis and said, "Pyra! Mythra!"

"Apologies, Frank," the Aegis said in a formal tone. "Worry not. All is well. I am lost no longer."

Pyra then did a movement with her hand, causing Frank's outfit to change into one that was similar to hers. His coat and pants became armor with the same color scheme as the female Aegis. His grapple also got an upgrade, looking even stronger and more intricate than before.

"What's this?" Frank asked curiously.

"Ah, that's better, don't you think?" Pyra said with a smile.

Frank couldn't help but smile back. "I could get used to this!" He then turned around towards his friends. Jin had also recovered enough to rise to his feet and resummoned his nodachi.

"Everyone, attack!" Frank ordered.

"Yeah!" Mika exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Payback time!" Sonum added with a smirk.

Frank held his new sword with both hands and readied for battle. Pyra, on the other hand, prepared to transfer power to her Driver, her wing-like devices opening up. While Jin and the others battled Malos, Zeke charged at his son at light-speed, but was shocked when Frank easily blocked his attack with the Aegis Sword.

"I don't think so," Frank said as he repelled his father away.

The Aegis Driver then advanced at the Blade Eater and jumped high in the air, his sword raised. Zeke used his speed to move out of the way. However, when Frank's sword struck the ground, a green energy field spread out throughout the ruins, shocking everyone, except Frank and Pyra.

"How?!" Zeke said in shock. He then moved at light-speed but soon found himself pursued by Frank, who was also moving at light-speed. The two clashed for a few times before Zeke stopped by the edge of the cliff.

"How are you matching my speed?!" Zeke demanded. Frank then appeared before him. "Impossible!"

Pyra then appeared behind the Blade Eater, forcing Zeke to enter light-speed again. He and Frank then fought in the air before colliding into the cliff, with Pyra in hot pursuit.

"You can't have such power!" Zeke exclaimed as he and his son continued to fight at light-speed while moving along the cliffside.

"I don't know, and I don't care!" Frank cried out. "This is what I was searching for!"

The other Drivers and Blades were in awe from watching the high-speed duel between father and son.

"Incredible," Jin said. "So this is Pyra and Mythra's true power."

Frank and Pyra, wielding the Aegis Sword together, then clashed against Zeke one final time, sending the latter crashing into the ground, which shook the decaying Titan fiercely. Zeke grunted in pain as he fell to his knees. He was breathing very hard and was covered with injuries.

Frank and Pyra then descended to the ground, landing in front of the Tornan Blade Eater. Pyra's wings also closed up. "You want some more?!" Frank exclaimed as he readied his sword. Suddenly Frank's determination was replaced by confusion when he saw the sorrow and lifenessless in his father's eyes.

"Father? What's wrong?" he asked but got no answer as Zeke slowly rose to his feet.

Pyra placed her hand in front of her Driver and said, "Frank. That's enough." The Aegis Driver looked at her and nodded, before lowering his sword.

"You're making a mistake," Zeke chided. "Kill me now, or you'll live to regret it!"

"I don't want to fight you," Frank replied. "Like it or not, you're still my father. You always told me to do what's right. Well for me, it's going to Elysium with Pyra and Mythra. I won't let anyone, not even _you_, get in my way!"

"That's not going to happen," Malos said as he approached the trio. "We have goals of our own. You and anything that stands in our way will be wiped out."

Jin hurried to his Driver's side and readied his sword. "What do you mean? Explain yourself?!"

"Our only purpose," Zeke said suddenly. "Destroy humanity. Destroy the world. Then…"

"Destroy the Architect," Malos concluded. "I am an Aegis. Created by the Architect to erase existence. The ultimate weapon. The _Endbringer_!"

"Endbringer?" Frank asked in confusion.

"Yes. My only purpose is to destroy. I am the Endbringer! That is why I must go to Elysium and awaken the ultimate Artifice, Aion!"

"You can't be serious!"

"I'm nothing but serious, boy," Malos said. "This is the sacred duty entrusted to the Aegises by the Architect!"

"You're wrong!" Pyra objected. "Father doesn't want that! You're deeply mistaken!"

Malos glared at his fellow Aegis. "Enough. I know I'm right." Suddenly Ophion emerged from the Great Void, appearing behind Malos.

"Ophion!" Pyra exclaimed in disbelief as she saw the Artifice.

"Indeed!" Malos confirmed. "He obeys _me_ now! Ophion, finish them!"

The Artifice prepared to charge up its laser in its mouth, when suddenly a familiar golden particle beam struck Ophion from above, pushing it down into the Great Void.

"What's this then?!" Malos said as he turned around. "Another guest at the party?!"

Everyone looked up and saw a familiar white Artifice descend from the sky.

"It's Siren!" Frank exclaimed. "But how did it…"

"I called it," Pyra said. "I'm just glad it got here in time."

Malos grunted in frustration and said, "Bring it on!"

Ophion recovered and fired a purple laser at Siren from its mouth, but Siren raised its defensive barrier to block as it continued descending towards its fellow Artifice. Ophion then halted its attack before charging at Siren. Despite being smaller than the purple Artifice, Siren was much more agile than Ophion, as it began attacking Ophion's body with golden energy blades while the purple Artifice couldn't do anything, but fly passed it. Ophion then circled around and charged at Siren with its defense barrier, prompting Siren to use its own as well. Both Artifices seemed to be evenly matched until Ophion pushed Siren into the cliff, creating a powerful shockwave that shook the Titan.

"Pyra!" Frank exclaimed in concern as he saw his Blade fall to her knees.

"I'm fine," Pyra said.

"I've had it with you!" Malos declared. "Pyra! Mythra!"

Both Aegises glared at each other as they continued to control their Artifices remotely. Suddenly Ophion pulled away from Siren before firing another laser at the white Artifice.

"Not good!" Jin shouted as he used his defense barrier to shield him, Frank and Pyra from the shockwave created from the blast.

Unfortunately, the cliff couldn't take it anymore and began to collapse. The platform the party was on fell apart and they all fell into the Great Void, screaming as they descended. Luckily, Pyra managed to pull Frank close to her in an attempt to not be separated from him as they fell, but there was little else she could do for the others as they were scattered across the Void.

**To be continued**


	36. Chapter 36: The Land of Morytha

**Chapter 36- The Land of Morytha**

Mythra found herself dreaming about Elysium. She was standing under the tree where Frank had spoken with Addam. Mythra wasn't alone as Pyra was sitting next to her in the shade. They were looking down towards the town. A gentle breeze carried across the field.

"It's quiet today," Mythra commented, noticing the absence of the church bell that usually echoed in the air.

"Yes. That bell… I think it was the sound of our heart."

Mythra eyed her sister curiously. "Has it stopped?"

Pyra nodded. "Mm… it stopped."

Strangely, Mythra still heard a sound, like it was calling out to her. "But… something's still ringing out there," she said.

"Yes," Pyra said as she stood up. "So… So we have to go now!"

"We've got to be with Frank," Mythra finished.

Mythra, in her regular form, then found herself waking up, her head resting in Frank's lap. They were in a destroyed building in a ruined city that looked strangely similar to the architecture on Earth. The sky was filled with dark clouds and a ghostly wind echoed outside.

"Mythra," Frank said softly, still in the Master Driver outfit that Pyra had given him during their last battle. He also had Mythra's sword strapped to the back of his waist, now repaired. Azurda was strangely not in the Driver's hood.

"Frank…?" the Aegis replied, still in a half-daze.

"Are you alright?" Frank asked in concern. "Actually, if you were injured, I'd be feeling it too."

Mythra brought the back of her right hand to her forehead and said, "Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm okay." Mythra then realized the position she was in and immediately sat up before nervously scooting away from her Driver. "W-was I… in your lap… this whole time?" Mythra asked nervously.

"Yeah," Frank answered, who looked equally nervous. "Our battle against Zeke and Malos must have took a lot out of you. As soon as we landed, you were out like a light. I couldn't just let you rest on the ground."

Mythra still looked a little embarrassed. "Um… I-I mean… thank you," she said awkwardly. "Uh, I didn't do anything strange, did I? Talking in my sleep, or grinding my teeth, or snoring, or… I'm such a terrible sleeper."

Frank looked at his partner with interest. "You snore and grind your teeth?"

"W-well, not always! I-I mean, i-it was a figure of speech, that's all!" Mythra hugged her knees close to her chest. She then heard Frank laughing his heart out. "What's so funny?!" she exclaimed in annoyance.

"Nothing," Frank said as he settled down. "I'm just glad that you're back your usual self. To be honest, that's one of the things I like about you."

Mythra suddenly felt her face getting hot as she blushed in embarrassment. "R-really? I-I…" she stuttered, trying to collect herself by changing the subject. "Um, where are we anyway? Where are the others?"

Frank shrugged. "We're under the Cloud Sea. I know that for sure," he explained. "I think this is the Land of Morytha that Meg and Dromarch mentioned." He stood up and pointed outside, prompting the Aegis to rise to her feet as well. "We fell from over there."

They walked outside and looked up. They could see strange monsters, possibly Lexos, high in the sky, as well as a powerful updraft.

"From all the way up there?" Mythra asked.

"Yeah. That updraft is what saved us from crashing. It probably caught the others too."

Mythra nodded. "Makes sense…"

"Anyway," Frank said. "Let's get our bearings straight before we go look for the others. We need to find a way out of here."

"Agreed. Any ideas?" Mythra asked as they began to walk in a random direction.

"Well I can sense Jin's presence, but it's very weak. I'm having trouble sensing Nia's though, but that might be because she's a Flesh Eater. Or it could just be this place. As for getting out of here, take a look over there." Frank stopped and pointed towards the horizon.

Mythra turned to where her Driver was pointing and saw massive tree roots forming a pillar through the Cloud Sea. "Is that the World Tree's roots?"

"I think so. There must be a path that leads out of here."

"There has to be," Mythra said. "I'm good to go. Let's move!"

The Aegis started walking until Frank stopped her by saying, "Um, how's Pyra feeling?"

Mythra turned around and said, "She's resting. Should I call her?"

Frank shook his head. "Nah, let her sleep. She's been through a lot."

The blonde-haired Aegis gave her Driver an honest smile. "You're too kind."

Frank returned the gesture as he scratched his head. "Thanks. My dad always said to be a gentleman. Well, before he became evil and all that."

The two began moving again. It was eerily quiet, so Frank decided to tell his partner everything he went through at the Spirit Crucible Elphys.

"Really?" Mythra said curiously. "You got to meet Addam? And you're his descendant too?"

"Yeah," Frank said. "Although it also feels like I've got broken memories of him. Addam told me something too. He told me to fight for the things that I wanted to protect. I've made my decision. I fight for you and Pyra." He then scratched his head sheepishly. "I mean, I'm still not good enough for you, but…"

Mythra shook her head. "Don't say that. You _are_ good enough to be my Driver. You were willing to fight your own father just to save me. If it wasn't for you, I might not have unlocked my true power. I've made a choice as well. Not to… live in fear."

"Speaking of which. That form. What is it?"

"That form is our true nature," Mythra explained. "The sword changed, right?" She got a nod from her Driver. "It's not just physically stronger. It also lets us control Artifices at will, so be careful."

"Uh, what?" Frank asked, looking confused.

"I mean don't get carried away!" Mythra scolded before loosening up.

"I-I see," Frank said. "So who's in control in that form, deep down? You or Pyra?"

"Hm. It's not one or the other. It's both at once."

"I see. So its you and Pyra merged into one?"

Mythra nodded. "Pretty much."

"So you're… what… Pythra?" Frank teased. "Myra?"

The Aegis just rolled her eyes at the bad joke. "It doesn't matter. Pyra, Mythra, they're both me. Call me whichever."

Frank didn't really give it much thought about which name to go with for the third form. "I know which name to use. I'll just call you 'Mythra' when you're in that form from now on."

Mythra was surprised by that. "A-are you sure? You met Pyra before me," she said hesitantly. "Not to mention you used her name for it before."

Frank nodded in confirmation. "True. But it just feels right using your name instead of hers. Sure, you tend to drag me around everywhere, you're stubborn and a little arrogant sometimes, but those are qualities I like about you. I think you're awesome the way you are."

Mythra soon found herself overcome with joy. Her Driver, the person she loved, had accepted her for who she was, not trying to change her. She pulled Frank into a tight embrace, something that surprised the Driver, but he returned the gesture.

"Thank you for saying that," she whispered before breaking the hug.

"Don't mention it," Frank said. "Hey, are you able to transform into it at will?"

"If I need to. Why?"

"No reason. It's just… your hair looked really nice in that form." Frank then panicked, which showed. "Not that your hair right now is bad! It isn't!"

Mythra giggled in amusement. "You're cute when you're nervous."

This time Frank was the one who blushed in embarrassment. Suddenly the two heard the sounds of fighting nearby. They hurried to investigate and after navigating through debris, they found Zeke, in his regular appearance, fighting a strange creature with black skin and horns in the street. The monster also had what looked like Core Crystals protruding from its body.

It was clear that Zeke was somehow losing to the monster. He was on his knees, using his sword to support himself.

"Egh… I can't lose… to these fools," Zeke said weakly before slowly rising to his feet.

"Zeke!" Mythra exclaimed in shock.

"He landed here too?" Frank added.

The duo watched as the monster easily punched Zeke in the forehead, forcing him to his knees. Red mist was surrounding the Torna leader and his Core Crystal was cracked.

"Father," Frank said. "He's still hurt from our battle." He gritted his teeth and ran to the Blade Eater.

"Frank?!" Mythra exclaimed in concern.

The monster raised its fist in an attempt to finish Blade Eater off, but was suddenly struck by a blast of light, knocking it down. Zeke then watched as his son stood before him, the Aegis Sword in hand.

"Frank?" Zeke questioned.

"You can't move, right?" Frank said. "I can't just let you die here. Even if you are my enemy!" The Master Driver saw the monster get back up. "Mythra!"

The Aegis, although reluctantly, nodded and went to her Driver's side. "If we must," Mythra said. "But I don't think this is a good idea!"

"I figured as much. Let's go!"

Zeke slowly got to his feet and readied his sword. The monster charged at the trio, swinging its arm at the Master Driver, but Frank blocked it with his sword. Zeke then used his light-speed to get behind the monster and unleashed Empty Moment, leaving deep cuts on its back.

Frank unleashed Double Spinning Edge from the monster's left side, which left deep gashes in it. The monster screeched in pain before recklessly attacking the Aegis Driver, who managed to dodge them all thanks to Mythra's Foresight. Frank then tossed the Aegis Sword to Mythra, who finished off the monster with Photon Edge.

With the danger gone, Zeke turned to his son and said, "Why did you help me? We're enemies."

"Yeah, I know," Frank said. "But you're still my father. I couldn't let you go out like that. And…" The Aegis Driver then recalled the lifeless expression on Zeke's face after their last battle before shaking his head. "No… It's nothing."

Mythra looked at her Driver curiously but said nothing.

Zeke then grunted in pain before he fell to his knees, using his sword to support himself.

"Father!" Frank exclaimed in worry. He was about to run to the Blade Eater but was stopped when he saw the monster get back up. The trio was shocked that the monster's injuries had completely healed.

"What the!" Frank said as he and Mythra got into fighting stances.

The monster slowly approached Zeke, who was too weak to move, and prepared to strike him. Suddenly a stream of blue fire struck the monster from above, knocking it to the ground. The monster was then impaled by icicles, pinning it down while also destroying its Core Crystal.

"Blue fire and ice," Mythra said. "Can it be?"

"You've got a lot to learn," said a familiar voice.

Mythra and Frank turned in the of the source and saw Brighid, Jin, Poppi and Azurda looking down at them from a nearby building.

"You've got to burn these monsters up," Brighid continued. "That or destroy their Core Crystal. Otherwise they'll just keep coming."

"Jin! Brighid! Poppi and Azurda!" Frank exclaimed in relief. "Man are we glad to see you!"

"Frank, Mythra? Are you both alright?" the Titan asked.

Mythra nodded. "We're fine. But we've got a little problem."

"Problem?" Jin then saw the downed Torna leader near his teammates. "What's Zeke doing here?!" the Paragon of Torna exclaimed.

"We'll explain everything once you get down here," Frank said.

The three Blades and Titan agreed and hurried down to where the others were. When they regrouped, however, Zeke suddenly passed out on the street.

"Father!" Frank exclaimed in worry as he ran to his father and knelt beside him.

Zeke's breathing was labored, and his Core Crystal was in bad shape.

"Mythra, we have to help him!" Frank said desperately.

"What?!" the Aegis said in surprise. "Saving Zeke from that monster is one thing, but this is different. He's still our enemy."

"I know that. But we can't just leave him like this. It's wrong."

Mythra looked her Driver in the eye and saw that he wouldn't give in. She sighed in defeat before taking on her ascended form (the third form) and knelt beside the Blade Eater. She held her hand out towards Zeke's Core Crystal and began emitting a green light into it, which began repairing the crystal.

"Incredible," Jin said in awe. "What awesome power you've gained."

"This is the power of the Master Blade," Mythra explained. "The Master Blade possesses the data of all Blade cores." After a few seconds, Zeke's Core Crystal was fixed, prompting Mythra and Frank to stand up, the former reverting back to her normal form.

"Thank you, Mythra," Frank said in gratitude.

Mythra folded her arms and scoffed. "I only did it so you'd stop pestering me. Honestly, you're as stubborn as me sometimes."

"Like that's anything new," Brighid said nonchalantly. "Anyway, we should get back to the matter at hand. Finding our friends. After the cliff collapsed and we all fell into the Great Void, it seems we were all separated."

"I'm sure Ethan's alright," Poppi added. "He's stronger than he looks."

"Do you guys know where Meg and the others are?" Frank asked.

"It's faint, but I can feel the energy signature from Meg's weapons from here," Brighid said. "She must be close. I know that she has Aegaeon with her, but still, I can't help but worry about her."

"That's understandable," Jin replied. "I was worried about Frank, even though he had Mythra and Roc with him."

"It's a shame that without Meg, you're not at full power, Brighid," Frank said.

"Actually, that's not entirely true," Mythra voiced, causing all eyes to focus on her. "When I gave you that armor, it wasn't just for show. You became the Master Driver. You're now able to use the Blades of other Drivers as your own."

Frank's jaw dropped. "No way! That's cool!"

"Keep in mind, it's more like you're borrowing the Blades, not taking them as your own. If you use Brighid, for example, she's technically still resonated to Meg. You can use Arts and all that, but the Blades aren't truly yours."

Frank shrugged. "Eh, I don't really mind," he said as Azurda climbed into his hood. "It's still pretty cool. Anyway, let's rest for a bit before we go look for the others."

Zeke suddenly stirred and woke up. He noticed the others in front of him and looked surprised as he felt no pain from his core.

"You… healed me?" Zeke asked. "But why?"

"Your son," Mythra said simply. "Now listen carefully. I repaired most of the damage to your crystal, but it isn't perfect so be careful. Overexert yourself again, and the damage will be permanent."

Zeke gazed at the Aegis in shock. "Mythra…" he said slowly.

"You're a lucky man, Zeke," Brighid said bitterly. "You've been given a second chance you denied so many brave Ardainians, your own people, no less. I doubt your luck would hold up so well if Meg was here!"

"Father, what the heck happened to you?" Frank asked. "Why did you side with Malos? What happened to my mother? And how did you become a Blade Eater?"

Zeke folded his arms and said, "It was about three years after your mother and I dropped you and your sister off at Fonsett Academy. The Allied Forces managed to infiltrate the Dimension of Shadows, the home of all monsters. There, we fought them to a stalemate before it all fell apart. Zeta, in a weakened form, then appeared. He whispered into the hearts of our army and they quickly turned on each other. I fought Zeta in a duel to free the others from his influence, but he was too strong for me. Selena… sacrificed herself to shield me from his blow. After that, I too was overcome by Zeta's darkness. I killed anything that moved, whether it was humans or monsters. After the dust had settled, I knew I couldn't return to you and Meg, and I slowly began to despise humans because of their inner darkness. I wandered around Alrest as a drifter until Malos found me. He offered to help me with my wish to make humanity pay for its incompetence, and for Selena's death. He then implanted a Core Crystal into my body, and I became the man you see today. The leader of Torna."

Frank was shocked at what he heard. Once he recovered, he said, "So that's why you sided with Malos. With everything you've done, we can't forgive you. But still… if you keep standing in our way, then I won't hesitate to strike you down, even if you are my father."

Zeke looked almost impressed. "You certainly know how to make threats, but can you back it up? Do you even know where we are? This is the Land of Morytha. A place of more wickedness than you can imagine. This land was destroyed long before Alrest even existed. It's also the birthplace of the Architect. That's what Malos said."

"What?!" the others exclaimed in shock.

"Zeke," Mythra said suddenly. "I know there's no easy way to change your mind but hear me out. Let's regroup and climb up the World Tree. Call it a ceasefire until then, okay?"

"A united front?" Zeke questioned. "As you wish. It's not like I could take you all on in my current state anyway."

"So where do we go from here?" Frank asked.

"Well, there's no point heading back," Mythra voiced. "Let's just press on and find the others."

"Agreed," Jin said. "Forward is our only option."

"I know Zeke is on our side for now, but he's not in the best shape," Brighid added. "And with our numbers so few, we must exercise extreme caution as we proceed."

The group then moved down the street and passed through the ruins of a fallen building. Once they were on the other side, they found a clearing.

"I think we should rest here while we can," Jin advised. "I can sense no monsters around here and we don't know what could be lurking ahead."

"I agree with Jin," Brighid added. "As much as I would like to find Lady Meg, we shouldn't overexert ourselves."

"And Frank is the only Driver we have right now," Poppi said. "It's dangerous for him to fight for so long."

"Hey, I'm not fragile!" Frank protested. "I feel just fine."

Mythra eyed her Driver and saw that he looked more tired than he let on. "Yeah, right. I doubt you've gotten any sleep ever since we got here," Mythra said fiercely. "You're taking a rest right here! End of discussion."

Frank was surprised by his partner's outburst but chose not to argue, especially since he knew he couldn't win against her. The group gathered by a large pile of debris to obscure themselves from view, though Zeke kept his distance from his temporary allies. He watched in amusement as Mythra forced Frank to get some sleep by holding him close until exhaustion overtook the Master Driver. Eventually, Zeke, Jin, Azurda, and Brighid fell asleep as well, with Poppi, who didn't need rest, acting as a lookout.

After fifteen minutes had passed, Poppi approached Zeke and waved her hand in front of his face but got no response. She then walked off, unaware of Mythra following her.

Mythra saw the artificial Blade stop by the edge of a broken bridge, looking out at the ruined city.

"It's very quiet," Poppi said.

"It is," Mythra replied.

"This place… Its architecture looks very similar to Earth's, but more advanced," Poppi said. "They must have achieved many technological advancements to do this. But how is this possible?"

"I don't know. But it doesn't matter how many fancy tricks they learn," Mythra said. Poppi noticed a sad look on the Aegis's face. "Deep down, they're all the same. They thought they were making their lives better with all this stuff. But in the end, it destroyed them, just like the Umbral City on Temporal Island. Now… it's just a ruin."

"But I was made by advancing technology," Poppi said. "Will I destroy the world as well?"

"That's my problem too," Mythra confessed. "If this world really is Father's world, then he made me to be as dangerous as any technology."

"Then you and I are the same?"

Mythra nodded. "Yes. Kinda."

"But if… if I destroy the world, then Ethan would die. Maybe you should destroy me before that happens?"

The Aegis's eyes filled with sympathy. "Poppi…" She put her hands on the artificial Blade's shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. "Ethan created you. You could never do anything like that. I know it!"

"But…" Poppi said, still in doubt.

"Hey, let's make a promise," Mythra offered. "If you ever feel like you're going to destroy the world, I will do what you asked me. But in return… can you promise me something?"

"What is it? Are you afraid of destroying the world too?"

Mythra removed her hands before folding her arms. "Well, I'm doing my best to stop it from coming to that. It's something else. It's…" Mythra hesitated as she stared at the ground. She then shook her head before resting her right arm on her waist. "No, actually, nothing. I don't have a request right now. Can I think it over?"

"Of course!" Poppi replied. She and Mythra then shared a high-five, before the artificial Blade returned to the others, leaving the Aegis alone.

"Couldn't bring yourself to tell her, could you, Mythra?" Jin said as he revealed himself to the Aegis.

Mythra eyed the Paragon of Torna in disdain. "Eavesdropping. That's pretty rude, even for you."

"Well you kinda left without saying anything. It's only natural that I'd be concerned. We share the same Driver, after all."

"Frank…" Mythra lowered her head in distraught as she thought of her partner.

It pained Jin to see his friend in this state. "Mythra, why do you keep doing this to yourself?" he said. "You may be an Aegis, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy. You, more than anyone, deserve to be happy. You don't have to isolate yourself from everyone."

"You sound just like Addam."

"Because he's right. Tell me, do you love Frank?"

"W-what?" Mythra stuttered with a blush.

"Just answer the question," Jin said. "Do you love him?"

Mythra was silent for a few moments before nodding. "Yes. I do. He accepted me for who I am, and he always cared for me even if I wasn't always nice to him in return."

Jin nodded in agreement. "He's gone through more hardship than most humans do in their whole lives," he continued. "But there's only so much loss he can take before breaking. He needs you now more than ever. He's your Driver, your _true_ Driver. He was willing to do whatever it took to save you from Zeke and Malos. Would you do the same for him?"

The Aegis paused before answering, "I'd give my own life if it meant saving his. How's that for commitment?"

Jin simply smiled. "It works just fine. Let's just hope it won't come to that." He turned around to head back to the camp.

"Hey Jin," Mythra said suddenly. "If something does happen to me, promise me that you'll look after Frank for me."

The Ice Blade looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Of course. You can count on me."

They then returned to camp together. Jin watched as Mythra scooted over to Frank, who was still asleep, and held him close before falling asleep. He smiled in content from the sight before getting some sleep himself.

**To be continued**


	37. Chapter 37: The Secret of Blades

**Chapter 37- The Secret of Blades**

After a few hours of rest, Poppi woke the others. Frank was surprised when he found Mythra beside him, but didn't mind, especially since she didn't hit him with anything when she woke up. Jin then made everyone a light meal before they began discussing their next move.

"We should keep heading for the World Tree," Frank advised. "Let's just hope that the others are heading there too."

"Hoping is all we can do," Mythra said solemnly. "If anything, we should wait for them at the base of the Tree."

"Our only way forward is up that fallen bridge," Jin added while pointing northward, towards said bridge. "No doubt more monsters will be lurking ahead. We should remain alert for any signs of danger."

"Agreed," Brighid said. "Let's move."

The group made their way up the collapsed bridge, finding themselves on an elevated street with a tunnel. They then went into the tunnel but hid behind some debris when they saw a horde of monsters blocking the way.

"Crap. There's too many of them," Frank said. "We'll have to find another route."

"There isn't one," Mythra replied. "We'll have to make do."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Zeke said simply before drawing his sword and approached the monsters.

The monsters noticed the Blade Eater, prompting the others to join him.

"Guess we've got no choice," Jin said as he and Frank drew their weapons. "Let's wipe them out!"

"Yeah," Frank added.

The monsters charged at the party, who met them head-on. Frank, Jin, and Zeke were in the front, drawing all the attention. Mythra stayed by her Driver, protecting him with a defensive barrier and her Foresight.

Frank then decided to test out his Master Driver abilities and said, "Brighid, lend me your power!"

"It will be my pleasure!" the Fire Blade replied.

The Aegis Sword was then replaced by twin whipswords. One monster tried attacking the Master Driver, but he parried it with his new swords.

"Hellfire!" Frank shouted. His swords ignited with blue flames before the Driver extended the whips. He then swung the whips at the monsters, scorching them with fire before returning them to swords.

"Nice," Jin commented as finished off three monsters with a barrage of icicles.

Frank then returned to using the Aegis Sword before he and Mythra finished off the rest of the monsters with Hadron Impact.

"I didn't even know monsters like that existed," Frank said as they sheathed their weapons.

"Nothing like Alrest, for sure," Azurda said grimly. "They have a rotten knack of healing themselves…"

"Almost like Blades," Brighid mused.

"Yeah," Jin agreed. "Maybe they're leftovers of the culture that created us. This is the Architect's world. I guess nothing should come as a surprise."

Frank looked around. "Maybe, but it's still shocking just how similar this place is to Earth's cities. If this really is where the Architect came from, I wonder what he's like."

"I didn't get to meet him," Mythra replied. "I mean, I have fragments of memories, blurred images… That's why I want to meet him."

"Well you're not going to get any answers from this place," Zeke said. "It's a heap of smashed-up crap. Just look… there are places that look melted by a warhead or something. All that's buried here is the hubris of mankind. If the Architect was born here, then he must be as flawed as any other."

"Did you forget that you used to be _human_, Father?" Frank asked.

Zeke eyed his son and said, "I left that behind long ago, Frank. You'll never understand it."

Jin looked out the tunnel and gasped. "Guys, look!" the Ice Blade exclaimed.

Everyone turned and saw the corpse of a large dragon-like Titan outside the tunnel.

"It can't be!" Mythra said in shock.

Frank looked at his partner, confused. "Mythra, do you know that Titan?"

"We both do," Jin said grimly. "It's Torna!"

The others were filled with disbelief.

"Torna? Wasn't it destroyed in the Aegis War?" the Master Driver questioned.

Mythra slowly nodded. "Yes. I accidently destroyed it during the final battle against Malos. I unleashed a part of my true power, but I couldn't control it. My attacks ended up destroying the Titan's core, causing it to sink beneath the Cloud Sea."

Frank noticed the guilt in the Aegis's eyes, prompting him to take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze, much to Mythra's surprise. "It's not your fault what happened five hundred years ago. I'll make sure that it doesn't happen again. I'll help you carry all the fear you have."

Mythra cracked a light smile. "Thanks Frank. To be honest, during the final moments of that battle with Malos, I also saw broken visions of you too. You becoming my Driver, our first battle against Torna, and you awakening as my true Driver. I couldn't make sense of it at the time, but now I feel like you were meant to be my Driver."

"Really?" Frank said.

"I think so too," Jin added. "The night before we left to confront Malos five hundred years ago, I told Mythra that I felt that her true affinity was in the future, not in the current time. And I was right, you were able to connect with Mythra in a way that Addam never could. You can control the _true_ power of the Aegis."

"Wow. Neat."

"Anyway," Mythra said. "We're wasting time just standing here. Let's keep moving." She began walking out of the tunnel, towards the dead Titan, while also pulling Frank along. Surprisingly, the Aegis Driver didn't protest at all.

The other Blades looked amused as they followed their comrades. Zeke, on the other hand, maintained a passive expression.

"Looks like those two have gotten closer than ever," Brighid said with a smirk.

"Indeed," Jin agreed. "I've never seen Frank willingly let Mythra lead him around before. The rest of this trip will be very interesting."

The rest of the group hurried after the duo, not wanting to be left behind.

**Meanwhile**

The Monoceros was diving deep into the Cloud Sea. Malos and the other Torna members were at the helm with Mikhail piloting the ship, while Akhos and Patroka ran status updates on the vessel's state. The Monoceros groaned and shook as it felt the increasing pressure of the Cloud Sea's depths.

"Come on," Mikhail said desperately. "Just hang in there."

"Mikhail!" Patroka exclaimed as she got various alerts. "This is bad! The Mononceros can't handle this much pressure!"

The Blade Eater gritted his teeth in frustration. "Akhos! How deep are we?"

"28,000 peds," Akhos answered grimly. "We're nearly at the limit now!"

"We have to keep going!" Malos declared. "We need to rescue Zeke! Just a little further and we'll be out of the Cloud Sea!"

Soon the Monoceros stopped shaking as it exited the Cloud Sea. The Torna members looked in awe as they saw the Land of Morytha.

"We're out!" Mikhail cheered.

"Incredible," Akhos said as he gazed upon the ruined city. "The Land of Morytha. It looks a lot like Earth, only in a more apocalyptic setting."

"It's nothing to shout about," Malos passed off. "Just a bunch of ruins. A testament to their hubris."

Mikhail turned and faced the Aegis. "Are you saying humans lived here?"

The Aegis nodded. "Alrest will suffer the same fate," Malos continued.

"So that's why Zeke wants to…" Akhos said.

"Is it really justified?" Mikhail said as he piloted the ship above the city.

"What are you saying?" Patroka asked.

"I know why Zeke wants to destroy everything, but 'everything' can't mean_ everything_, can it?"

"You're not there yet," Malos answered as he placed a hand on the Blade Eater's shoulder. "It's okay. You'll understand soon enough. Let's cross that bridge when we come to it, huh?"

Mikhail didn't respond.

**Back to the others**

Frank and the others crossed a make-shift bridge and entered the dead Titan through a large hole. The area was scorched and ruined. There were also large fossilized eggs scattered around.

"This place is completely trashed," Frank said as he looked around.

"Traces of the Aegises' battle, I reckon," Azurda answered. "This is all that remains of the Tornan Titan's matrix."

"Indeed," Jin said. "Even in old Torna, only a few people knew about this place."

Frank stopped moving, prompting the others to stop too. "A matrix? Are you saying this is a womb?"

"Take a closer look at those eggs," the Titan said.

The group examined the eggs and saw that some were broken, revealing strange-looking dead Blades inside them.

"Those Blades look almost like Titans," Poppi said in shock.

"These are Blades that perished in the process of becoming Titans," Jin explained. "Titans grow Core Crystals in their bodies. We've seen this before in Leftheria where we helped a sick Titan. You see, Blades aren't truly immortal. They are born from Titans, and when their fire burns out, they return to the Titan that bore them. Eventually, the Blades that return transform into Titans themselves."

"Is that really true?" Brighid asked.

Mythra lowered her head in guilt, something her Driver noticed.

"Mythra?" Frank asked in concern.

"Yes," the Aegis said slowly. "It's true."

"The new Titan has no memory of its life as a Blade," Zeke took over. "Just like returning to a core." He gazed upon the dead Blades with sorrow. "These poor souls. They died along with their mother, sharing her fate."

"I myself was born here 1,300 years ago," Azurda added. "But I wonder… how did you ever find out about this, Zeke?"

"I learned this truth… from Malos," Zeke answered.

"I'm not surprised he knew," Mythra said nonchalantly. "Malos is an Aegis, after all."

Frank eyed the blonde Aegis in disbelief. "You knew about this, Mythra?"

Mythra's face immediately filled with regret. "I did. I'm sorry I never told you before."

"To be fair," Frank replied. "I never really asked about it, so its understandable why you didn't mention it."

The group made their way through the womb before entering a circular room with a mural. The mural showed how life spawned from the Titans, eventually becoming humans.

"I remember reading about this in my journal, but I still have trouble believing it," Brighid said before reading aloud, "Blades are born from crystals, and Titans from Blades. The Titans, in turn, nutures life…"

"Who then give birth to more Core Crystals," Frank finished.

"Right," Mythra said. "That's the life cycle of a Blade."

"It is the way the Architect ordained for the world," Jin added.

"Old Torna worshipped this cycle," Mythra continued. "They revered the Titans. Feared them. It was the sacred foundation of Torna. A nation where humans and Blades lived in harmony."

Suddenly Jin clutched his forehead as he felt his head hurting.

"Jin! Are you okay?" Frank asked in concern.

Slowly, the Paragon of Torna nodded as he lowered his hand. "Yes. I just remembered about what happened to Torna after the Aegis War."

The rest of the group were confused.

"Hold on," Brighid said. "I thought Mythra destroyed Torna during her battle with Malos."

"Mythra did kill the Titan," Jin explained. "But the nation survived on a Titan called Spessia. Survivors flocked together to support themselves and things were peaceful, for a time. It was around then that Addam decided to seal us away in order to help Mythra and Pyra in the future. The plan was to seal us in separate locations in order to ensure that we wouldn't be found by the wrong people. The first to be sealed was Mythra, then Brighid. Pandoria, Dromarch, and Kasandra were volunteered by their Drivers soon after. Lora, Haze and I were planning on our sealing when we were suddenly attacked by Indol, under Amalthus's command."

"What?!" Frank exclaimed in shock. Mythra had the same reaction.

"A nation endures through its people," Jin explained. "As I said earlier, even though Mythra destroyed the Tornan homeland, Torna lived on through its citizens. But Amalthus… _he_ was the one who really destroyed Torna."

"But why would he do that?" Mythra asked.

Jin looked the Aegis in the eyes. "He attacked in order to eliminate you, Mythra. He was afraid of your power, the power of the Aegises. The remnants of Torna were annihilated in the attempt. However, he didn't know about Addam's plan to seal ourselves away, so in a way, his attack was in vain. Lora, Haze and I were trying to flee to safety, but Lora was badly injured during our escape. Her wounds were too severe for even Haze to heal. We only had a short amount of time before Lora died and we would return to our cores.

"We had two pods for me and Haze, but we only had enough time to seal only one of us. Haze… she volunteered for me to be sealed away and went to buy us some more time. Lora then made me promise something, that I would help the Aegis and her new Driver with all my might, and to not try to get revenge against Amalthus. She then used the last of her strength to seal me away and sent my pod far away from Spessia. The next thing I knew, I was awoken by Klaus, and he sent me to Leftheria to find you, Frank."

The Master Driver's filled with grief. "How awful."

"Maybe we shouldn't have left," Mythra said in a regretful tone. "I never knew."

"There's nothing you could've done," Jin replied. "Besides, I think you were just one of his targets. Amalthus must have known about the life cycle of Blades, and that Torna was the only other nation aware of it. It's possible that he viewed it as a threat, so he chose to wipe out any records of it from history and blamed Torna's destruction on you. He attacked to wipe out the unborn Titans, limiting the land in Alrest forever."

"Amalthus doesn't seek to save the world," Zeke spoke up. "His real desire for Elysium is to claim the Architect's power. Amalthus wants to use it to wipe out Blades and Titans."

"So that's why he was taking care of Frank and Mythra," Azurda said. "Mythra's the key to Elysium… without her or Malos, there's no way to open the way to Elysium."

"Even so," Frank said before glaring daggers at his father. "You're just the same as Amalthus! You're planning on destroying the world too. You and your Torna have killed Drivers, soldiers, Haze… lots of innocent people. You said it yourself that you plan on killing the Architect!"

"I did say that," the Blade Eater mused.

Frank then relaxed. "To be honest, I'm not so sure. I can't bring myself to believe that's what you're really trying to do."

Zeke looked confused. "What are you talking about? Haven't we…?"

"I could tell when we were fighting," Frank interrupted. "I saw it in your eyes. The sadness. It was the look of someone wanting to die. Someone with no other way out. I remember seeing that look in Mythra's eyes when we first met."

Mythra was surprised. "You noticed that?"

Frank nodded. "We're partners. Of course I'd notice if you were feeling sad about something."

Zeke gritted his teeth. "You don't know what you're talking about," he retorted. "Keep your stupid comments to yourself. Make no mistake, we will kill the Architect, and end this world. And we will destroy all the humans who lived in his mercy."

The Master Driver looked somewhat disappointed. "So be it," Frank said firmly. "Just know that we'll…" Whatever he was going to say next was interrupted as the ground began shaking fiercely.

Suddenly a giant black-skinned monster appeared, slowly approaching the group. It had three arms and two legs, although it held itself up with only two of its arms. Blue ether lines were shown around its body, along with Core Crystals.

"What the heck is that?!" Frank exclaimed as they all got into fighting stances.

"As I thought," Jin said. "These things aren't really alive. They're autonomous cybernetic organisms. Once their central control is gone, they're programmed to act on their own. And unfortunately for us, they choose to destroy anything living."

"Testaments to human hubris," Zeke mused. "Now do you see?" Suddenly he fell to his knees in pain. "Not… now!"

"Crap," Frank said. "Mythra, we need Siren!"

"It's no use!" Mythra replied. "The Cloud Sea is interfering. I can't give it commands."

"Well this just gets better by the second," Jin said as he and Frank drew their swords. "I sense that this creature is stronger than any of the other monsters we fought here. I don't know if we can beat it on our own…"

The monster prepared to attack when suddenly it was struck by blue lightning, stopping it.

"Lightning?" Frank said. "Can it be?"

The group turned around and saw Jason and the other Drivers and Blades behind them.

"Frank! Mythra! Everyone!" the Thunderbolt exclaimed. "Are you all alright?"

"Father?!" Meg shouted in disbelief as she saw the Blade Eater by her brother. "Why are you guys with him?!"

"We'll explain later!" Frank said. "We have to deal with this thing first."

"Understood," Ethan said as the two groups rejoined. A strange metal shield then replaced his saber. "I've been working on this weapon for a while. Now's a good time as any to give it a field test."

"Just try not to blow us up," Poppi chided.

"That was one time! Jeez!"

"Focus, you two!" Mythra shouted with authority.

"Sorry!" Ethan and Poppi exclaimed in slight fear before joining the fight.

Ethan managed to demonstrate his new Drill Shield's usefulness by shooting bombs from it and using the drill, which appeared in the center of the shield, to get the monster's attention. It was also surprisingly sturdy, with it being able to take multiple heavy attacks and get only a single scratch.

Meg then tossed her whipswords to Brighid, who subsequently unleashed Heat Haze, injuring the monster with blue flames. Sonum and Dromarch then followed it up with Aqua Wave. Mythra then switched to Pyra, prompting Frank to toss her the Aegis Sword.

"Blazing End!" the red-haired Aegis shouted. Pyra began the Art by doing a horizontal slash against the monster's chest before throwing the Aegis Sword at it. The sword cut into the monster as it spun before returning to Pyra, who then reverted back to Mythra. She then returned the Aegis Sword to Frank as a red orb began orbiting the monster.

"Zero Blade!" Jin exclaimed. The Paragon of Torna unleashed a series of slashes on the monster's side, making deep gashes that drew blood. He then fired a barrage of icicles into the wounds, causing the monster to howl in pain.

Ethan switched to his saber and tossed it to Poppi, who subsequently used Noponic Axion to injure the monster even more before returning the weapon to her Driver. Ethan then went back to using the Drill Shield.

"Now it's our turn!" Mika declared as he handed Kasandra his shield hammer. The Dark Blade finished the Blade Combo with Secret Desire, consuming the monster in a dark explosion. When the dust cleared, however, the monster was still standing. It also had a purple orb orbiting it.

"No way," Jason said in disbelief. "How is it still standing after that?"

Frank gritted his teeth in frustration. "Mythra! Time to go all out!"

"I hear you!" Mythra switched to her ascended form, prompting the Aegis Sword to change as well.

The monster then began attacking the Master Driver, but Frank easily parried its attacks with his sword.

"Finish it off, Mythra!" Frank declared before tossing the Aegis Sword to his partner.

"With pleasure. Radiance Flare!" Mythra slashed at the monster multiple times at light speed. The attacks were too much for the monster to handle, causing it to fall limply to the ground, dead.

The other Drivers were in awe at what they saw.

"Incredible," Jason said as they sheathed their weapons. "With that kind of power at our disposal, we can't lose."

Mythra gave her sword back to her Driver and returned to normal, which changed the sword too. "Pretty much," the Aegis said confidently.

They spent the next few minutes explaining what happened after they all separated. Zeke had recovered enough to stand, prompting the others to begin moving out to plan their next move. Mythra then noticed that Frank was not among them. Instead, she saw that he was kneeling beside the monster.

"It can't be," the Master Driver said in shock.

"Something wrong?" Mythra asked in concern.

Frank nearly jumped as he saw Mythra right behind him. He then stood up and faced her, while hiding something behind his back.

"Uh, it's nothing," Frank passed off. "Don't worry about it."

"Uh huh." The Aegis eyed her Driver in suspicion. "Spill it. What's gotten you so worked up?"

"W-what makes you think that?"

"I'm your Blade and your partner! Our bond goes both ways! You think I wouldn't know if you were distressed about something? Now tell me what's wrong before I make you!"

Frank flinched in fear, knowing full well that Mythra would follow through on that threat. He hesitantly showed her an ID badge with a picture of a woman that was in his right hand.

Mythra gasped in shock. "Where did you get this?"

"From that… thing," Frank answered as he pointed at the monster's corpse. "I don't know how… but it used to be a human."

"What?! That doesn't make any sense." A realization then dawned on the Aegis. "Wait… does that mean the monsters we fought here in Morytha were humans too? And if so, what could've happened to make them like this?"

"I don't know," Frank admitted. "This place just has more questions than answers."

"Frank! Mythra!" Meg cried out. "Hurry up or you'll be left behind!"

"We're coming!" the Aegis Driver responded. "Hold on!"

As they walked to rejoin the others, Mythra noticed that Frank still looked distressed. "Do you want to tell the others about it?" she asked.

Frank shrugged. "Maybe later. This isn't really the time for it."

"Alright."

The duo then rejoined the other party members, where they then explained their intentions.

"You want to climb all the way up the World Tree?" Ethan asked. "That sounds exhausting."

Poppi gave her Driver a disapproved look. "You haven't even tried climbing it yet," she scolded. "Besides, do you see any alternatives?"

"Besides," Mythra said. "That last battle against Malos freed Ophion from his control. It's also no longer sustaining the Great Void. Climbing the World Tree may be our only option."

Meg then eyed her brother. "Frank, I can see why you allowed our father to accompany you, but I advise that you don't let your guard down."

Zeke scoffed. "You're still the same as ever, Meg."

"I don't need your praise or your pity, _Father_," Meg scolded bitterly. "When this crisis is over, I'm taking you in. If you resist, we'll kill you. Brighid and I."

"Yes," the Flame Blade said.

"Meg!" Frank exclaimed before being stopped by Jin.

Suddenly the Monoceros appeared above the group.

"No way!" Nia said in disbelief. "They came for Zeke!"

**Meanwhile on the Monoceros**

Malos and the others saw Zeke standing with Frank and the others.

"Finally, we found Zeke," Akhos said. "But what's he doing with them?"

"Weird," Patroka said. "Let's ask questions later. After we finally smashed them!"

Suddenly Akhos received a transmission. "What? Are you sure? W-well, okay."

"Was that Zeke?" Mikhail asked.

Akhos nodded. "Yes. He said to not attack."

"What?!" Patroka exclaimed. "But now's the perfect chance!" She then readied the Monoceros's weapons and prepared to fire on the Drivers and Blades.

"I told you not to attack!" Zeke suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, creating a shockwave that shook the area, even the Monoceros, stopping Patroka from firing.

Malos chuckled in amusement. "I have no idea why he said that, but he must have his reasons," the Aegis said. "You can't be too predictable. Right, Mik?"

"Sounds like a plan," the Blade Eater agreed. "I've never seen this side of Zeke before. Maybe its his parental instincts kicking back in."

"It's possible," Malos said. "Anyway, let's retrieve Zeke and start climbing the World Tree!"

**Back to the others**

The party watched as the Monoceros lowered its weapons and descended enough to allow Zeke to jump on.

"Father," Frank said as he watched the ship ascend towards the Cloud Sea.

"Those jerks!" Mika shouted in outrage. "Couldn't they at least give us a ride?! They've got a huge advantage with that ship!"

"Then we must hurry before they cover too much ground," Jin replied.

"Let's go!" Frank exclaimed before leading the others towards the World Tree.

When they arrived at the base of the World Tree, they were surprised to find an entrance to a futuristic tower.

"What the hell is this place?!" Nia said as they went inside.

"I'll be honest," Jason admitted. "I didn't expect the inside of the World Tree to look like this."

Mika then noticed a strange blue light. "Hey, what's this?" the Chaosbringer asked curiously as he approached the light.

"Uh, Mika," Frank said in warning. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Unfortunately, Mika didn't listen and touched the light, causing a large blue portal to appear and began to suck the party in.

"Why did you touch it?!" Sonum shouted as they struggled to resist the portal's pull.

"Sorry!" was all Mika could say before they were sucked in.


	38. Chapter 38: Two Aegis Drivers

**Chapter 38- Two Aegis Drivers**

Frank and his friends stumbled out of the portal and found themselves in a coliseum of sorts. It seemed to be in a void surrounded by the Cloud Sea.

"Where are we?" Frank questioned.

"Beats me," Mythra said. "I don't think we're even in Alrest."

"I think you're right, Mythra," Jin agreed. "I don't recognize the architecture of this place. It definitely doesn't match anything from Alrest."

"Or from Earth," Meg added. "We better be ready for anything."

"Agreed," Nia said

Suddenly a blue portal opened on the other side of the coliseum. A boy, about fifteen, with brown hair and gold eyes wearing an outfit similar to Frank's came out along with Pyra! The boy also had a green x-shaped Core Crystal on his chest. They were soon followed by a Nia look-a-like, in her human form, and Dromarch, a Blade that resembled Poppi, but if she was a child, with a brown-and-white Nopon dressed like an engineer. Then a woman with black hair who wore a similar garb to Meg's, only she had a hat, appeared along with Brighid. Finally, Pandoria appeared along with a blue-haired man wearing an identical outfit to Jason's, only he wasn't wearing a shirt and had an eyepatch over his left eye.

"What is this place?" the boy asked.

"I don't know," Pyra answered. "We should be careful, Rex. Who knows what could be here?"

"At least we've got our weapons, so we can defend ourselves," the Nia lookalike said.

The Nopon then noticed Frank's group and gasped. "Meh-meh! Rex-Rex, over there!"

"What's wrong, Tora?" Rex said before looking where Tora was pointing. He gasped as he saw none other than Mythra and the other Blades, but they were with another group of people.

"What the hell is this?!" the one-eyed man exclaimed. "What's Pandy doing with those lot?!"

"I'm standing right next to you, Zeke!" Pandoria 2 protested.

The Paragon of Torna then sensed that they were not alone and noticed Rex's group. "Frank, look!"

The Aegis Driver turned and gasped in shock as he saw Rex's group. "That's Pyra and the others! But who are those other guys with them?"

"I don't know, but that is definitely _not_ me," Mythra clarified. "And there's another Nia too."

"What should we do?" Sonum asked.

"They appear friendly enough," Meg responded. "Maybe they know what's going on here."

"Let's go ask them." Frank proceeded to lead his friends to Rex and his group.

"Hi, my name's Frank," the Aegis Driver introduced once they were in front of Rex and the others. "This is my Blade, Mythra…"

"_Your _Blade?" Rex interrupted. "That doesn't make any sense! _I'm_ Pyra and Mythra's Driver!"

"I think I'd remember resonating with a child," Mythra said rudely.

"Mythra!" Frank and Pyra exclaimed in sync.

"This is getting us nowhere," Brighid 1 (Meg's) said with a groan.

"Agreed," the older woman said. "Let us get introductions out of the way and then ask questions. My name is Morag. Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain."

Meg eyed Morag in suspicion. "My name is Meg. Frank is my older brother. And _I_ am Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain."

"What?!" Morag exclaimed in shock. "Impossible!"

"That's… weird. Anyway, I am Zeke von Genbu," Zeke said dramatically. "But you can address me as Zeke, Bringer of Chaos, or the Zekeinator! I also happen to be the Crown Prince of Tantal!"

The Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow. "My name is Jason. I'm the Crown Prince of Tantal too."

Zeke's jaw dropped in response. "Huh?!"

"Tora is Tora!" the Nopon said.

"Please call Poppi Poppi!" his Blade added.

"My name's Ethan. This is my Blade, Poppi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Poppi 1 (Ethan's) said with a bow.

"Meh-meh-meh?!" Tora said in shock. "P-Poppi grew up!"

"Masterpon, Poppi want to grow up too!"

The Chaosbringer cleared his throat and said, "I am Mika, the Chaosbringer, and this is my Blade, Kasandra."

Rex scratched his head. "The name's Rex. And this is Pyra, but you probably knew that already."

The red-haired Aegis bowed her head in respect. "It's nice to meet you all."

"What the hell?!" human Nia said. "Why is there another me?!"

"Trust me, this is strange for me too," Blade Nia replied.

Rex then noticed a certain Ice Blade standing by Frank's side. "Jin!" Rex exclaimed as he reached for his sword. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

The Paragon of Torna raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Excuse me?" Jin asked honestly.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Rex protested. "You were just with us in the Land of Morytha before Malos and your Torna lot picked you up in the Monoceros!"

"What are you talking about? Why would Malos help me?"

Pyra then noticed Jin's Core Crystal and gasped. "Wait, Rex. I don't think this is the same Jin that we know."

Rex faced his Blade curiously. "Huh? What do you mean, Pyra?"

"Look at his Core Crystal," Pyra said. "It's blue, not red. This Jin isn't a Flesh Eater."

"A Flesh Eater?" Frank said before realizing. "Wait a minute. I think I know what's going on here. You guys are from alternate universe. That's why we have the same Blades and similar backstories."

"Not only that," Mythra added. "But it also seems that their Jin sided with Malos."

"I guess I meant it literally when I said you helped me avoid a dark path, Frank," Jin said in amusement.

"Huh?" Rex said in confusion.

"Frank's my Driver, as well as our Nia's Driver."

"What?!" the Drivers of Rex's group shouted in disbelief.

The two groups then spent the next hour or so exchanging stories, which had many key differences, but some similarities.

"I see. So in your world, Rex is the Driver of the Aegis," Meg said. "And he was stabbed in the heart by Jin, who in your world is the leader of Torna, but was revived by Pyra when she gave him half of her life force. I didn't think it was possible for a Blade to do that."

"Did you have a similar situation back in your world?" Rex asked.

Frank shook his head. "Nope. Pyra only gave me half of her core because some voice told her to. Neither of us really know who that voice was though."

"You certainly seem mature for your age," Driver Nia said. "Unlike Rex here."

"Hey!"

"Well I kind of had to, given the circumstances," Frank said. "That, and I happen to be older than him."

Rex simply slouched in defeat.

"I think you've been hanging around Mythra too much, Frank," Jin reprimanded. "You're starting to get her sharp tongue."

"I am not a bad influence!" Mythra retorted.

Rex chuckled to himself and said, "Looks like your Mythra's the same as mine, Frank. By the way, when you unlocked Pyra and Mythra's true power, which name did you pick? I chose Pyra when I did because I knew her longer."

Frank folded her arms. "I chose Mythra. Part of why is because I felt I knew her the most, but it was also because of another reason."

"And that is?"

Frank's face slightly reddened. "T-that's nothing you need to know about."

Everyone else, except Mythra, laughed at Frank.

The blonde Aegis, on the other hand, stared curiously at her Driver. '_Frank had another reason for choosing my name?_' she thought to herself. '_What could it be?_'

_You could always ask him to find out,_ Pyra offered. _Although, I think we both know the _real _reason why he chose to use your name._

Mythra felt her face getting hot as she tried to suppress a blush. _Sh-shut up!_

"While this is all fascinating and all," Jason said. "Does anyone know where we are?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Zeke replied. "We all came here unwillingly, by the sound of things. Maybe this is a combat arena for champions from different worlds to duke it out."

"I highly doubt that," Meg chided.

"Do you have a better explanation?!"

"Enough!" Frank shouted with authority. "Let's not fight amongst ourselves. Since we're all clueless about what's going on, why don't we team up? We'll search the place together."

"Good idea," Rex said. "In fact, I was just about to suggest the same thing." He then extended a hand to Frank, who subsequently shook it.

The two groups looked around, which wasn't much since the coliseum was very small. Eventually they regrouped at the center.

"There really isn't much here," Blade Nia said. "And we can only see the portals that brought us here."

"That must mean that we cannot travel to each other's worlds," Morag replied. "That is disappointing, but it can't be helped."

"Meh-meh," Tora said. "Tora wanted to see how Ethan built his Poppi."

"Welcome friends!" said a new voice.

Everyone went on-guard. "Who's there?!" Jin demanded as he reached for his nodachi.

Suddenly a small yellow Nopon appeared in front of the two groups. "Peace friends," he said. "I mean you no harm. I am Nopon Archsage."

"Nopon… Archsage?" Rex said slowly.

The Nopon nodded. "Yes. Nopon Archsage is great Nopon who, through endless training in many times and places, became sagest of sages."

"Even though Archsage look even more littlepon than Tora?" Tora questioned.

"Such rudepon," the Archsage said. "Despite appearance, Nopon Archsage is hundred million times age of Tora."

Frank rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I doubt that."

The Nopon Archsage huffed in annoyance. "Friends believe it or not, it not matter. But truth is truth, and truth is that Nopon Archsage make this place. Here friends can battle against familiar foes through combat challenges and reap legendary rewards."

"You mean to test our mettle?" Morag questioned.

"Indeedy. But Nopon Archsage did not mean to summon two Aegis Drivers at once. Such a rare opportunity though. Nopon Archsage must see battle between Aegises! It will be awesome sight!"

Rex sighed. "I guess I am a little curious how I'd stack up against Frank. But aren't you afraid that we'll destroy the place?"

"Friends not need to worry about that. Nopon Archsage make place to be indestructible."

"Clearly you haven't met Mythra," Jin deadpanned.

Mythra glared daggers at the Paragon of Torna. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nopon Archsage almost forgot one important detail," the yellow Nopon said. "Even though coliseum is indestructible, friends can only use two forms of Aegis, the form they were in upon arrival, and true Aegis form, at the moment."

"So Rex can only use Pyra, while Frank can only use Mythra," Driver Nia mused. "Well this will certainly be a one-sided fight. Mythra's much stronger than Pyra. Nice knowing you, Rex."

Rex glared at the Gormotti. "Have a little faith, Nia. I can also use Pyra's true power too. It won't be as one-sided as you think." He then turned to his fellow Aegis Driver. "What do you say, Frank? Want to have a little friendly duel?"

The elder Master Driver nodded and smirked. "Sure. Just don't be too sad when you lose."

"We'll see."

The rest of the group moved to the side to watch as Frank and Rex drew their respective Aegis Swords. Mythra and Pyra stood behind their Drivers, ready to transfer power to them. Rex made the first move by charging at Frank. The salvager swung his sword at Frank's side, but Frank easily blocked it with his sword. Rex then tried to unleash a flurry of slashes, but Frank blocked them all too.

"Damn it!" Rex exclaimed. "How are you… of course, Mythra's Foresight. That's how you're countering me so easily."

Frank simply smirked. "Maybe. My turn now!" Frank then unleashed Sword Bash, striking Rex in the chest and knocking him back a few feet. He then noticed that both Rex and Pyra flinched in pain. "Interesting. They're just like us."

"Well his Pyra did give him half of her core to revive him," Mythra replied. "We can exploit that if you want."

Frank shook his head. "If we do that, then we're no better than my father. Besides, they could easily do the same to us."

"True, but they have to actually hit us to do that."

The two Master Drivers clashed swords multiple times, neither one giving in. Eventually, they were both forced back to their Blades.

"This feels a little unfair," Frank remarked. "How about we change it by going all out?"

Rex smirked. "It's like you read my mind! Let's go, Pyra!"

"I'm with you!" Pyra then switched into her ascended form.

"Mythra!" Frank exclaimed.

"You got it." Mythra switched to her ascended form as well.

The others watched in awe as the two Drivers clashed with the true Aegis Swords.

"Is anyone else afraid this might get out of hand?" Kasandra asked nervously.

"As long neither Aegis uses their Artifices, we should be okay," Morag replied.

"Don't jinx it," Meg added.

Both Frank and Rex swung their swords, creating a green ether field that covered the coliseum. They then began clashing at light-speed, moving throughout the arena. Even Mythra and Pyra were fighting each other.

"We're too evenly matched," Mythra said as she blocked Pyra's Starburst, which was a particle beam, with her defense barrier. "We won't get anywhere on our own."

"Agreed," Pyra replied. "Rex, help me out!"

Rex abandoned his fight with Frank and hurried to his Blade's side.

"Infinity Blade!" Rex and Pyra grasped the Aegis Sword together and held it up. Suddenly a portal opened up above them and a gold particle beam struck the sword before turning green.

Frank gasped as he realized what they were doing. "They're using Siren's power!" he exclaimed.

"Two can play at that game," Mythra said firmly. "Let's do it, Frank!"

The duo then activated Infinity Blade as well. Both Aegis Swords increased in power as the green light coming from them intensified. Everyone else was shocked at the sight.

"This is insane!" Sonum shouted. "They could bring the whole place down with those attacks!"

Even the Nopon Archsage looked nervous. "Meh-meh. Maybe this not good idea after all."

"Now you say that!" Zeke shouted.

Both pairs swung their swords down on each other, creating an explosion of green ether that shook the whole coliseum. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the wind created by the blast. When the dust cleared, both Frank and Rex were lying on the ground, looking exhausted. Mythra and Pyra, in their normal appearances, were lying beside their Drivers, looking just as tired as them. Parts of the coliseum were cracked but looked relatively intact.

"So it's a tie," Morag said.

"I guess we shouldn't be surprised," Brighid 2 added. "They are using the same Aegis, after all."

After a while, Frank and Rex started laughing as they gathered the strength to pick themselves up, along with Mythra and Pyra.

"You're incredible, Rex," Frank praised. "You really have control over the Aegis's power."

"You're not too bad yourself," Rex replied. "This reminds me of Rule Six of the Salvager's Code. First have a punch-out, then drink to forget. Once you've forgotten, the friendship's all set."

"Aren't you too young to drink alcohol?" Mythra questioned.

Rex scratched his head sheepishly. "That's not the point. What I'm trying to say is that we're friends now. Well, that is… if you don't mind."

Frank cracked a grin. "Sure. It's not every day you meet another Aegis Driver."

Their friends then gave their congratulations about the battle.

"Meh-meh," the Nopon Archsage said. "Nopon Archsage has to fix cracks Frank and Rex made with their attacks."

"Uh, sorry about that," Frank said as he scratched his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, our bad."

"Don't worry about it. Archsage just glad coliseum still in one piece. Friends must now return to their worlds. Much remains to be done there."

Jason gasped in shock. "He's right. We have to stop Torna from reaching Elysium. They must have a huge advantage now because of how long we've been here."

"Friends not need to worry about that. Time moves very differently here. When you return, it will be same time you left."

"Well that's convenient," Ethan said. "Still, we can't afford to waste any more time here. We need to get back."

"As do we," Morag added. "It was a pleasure to meet you all. Meg, I trust you'll take good care of your Brighid and Aegaeon."

"Of course," the other Flamebringer replied. "You do the same with yours."

Pyra then approached Jin. "I'm glad to know that you found someone else to resonate with. Maybe you'll turn better than the Jin of my world."

The Paragon of Torna chuckled. "We'll see. Take care of yourself, Pyra."

Frank and Rex then shook hands. "Good luck with saving your world," Frank said.

"Thanks. Same to you. I hope we meet again."

"As do I."

The two groups then headed for their respective portals to take them back to their worlds. Once the portals reopened, they went through.

'_Now then,_' Frank thought. '_Time to stop Zeke and Malos._'

**To be continued**


	39. Chapter 39: The World Tree

**Chapter 39- The World Tree**

**Mor Ardain**

Emperor Niall was in the throne room doing paperwork when General Luke approached him.

"Your Majesty," Luke said. "Yesterday we sealed Section 47."

"I see," Niall replied. "This is even faster than the surveys estimated."

"That's not all. We've detected surges of geothermal energy in the royal precincts. We can't hold out, even here. The ether flow is the lifeblood of the Titan. The temperature increases with its age. I recommend that we should hasten with relocating the capital to Gormott."

"But we've only just recalled the consul," Niall reasoned. "Without a good explanation, that will only anger the Gormotti. We don't want to sow discord for no benefit."

Luke hesitantly nodded. "I understand what you mean, Majesty. It's just… I fear that we're running out of time."

"Indeed," Niall agreed. "But not just for us. Gormott is fertile for now, but the harvests have been declining for years. It's like a cry issuing up from the center of the world." The emperor looked out the window, towards the Titan's head.

"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" Luke asked in concern.

Niall shook his head. "No. Just my imagination. Has there been any word about my cousins?"

"No. All we know is that they and their friends fell into the Great Void before it collapsed on itself. I fear that we must expect the worst."

"I refuse to believe that. If anyone can survive falling into the Great Void, it's them. We must have faith that they're alive."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

**Base of the World Tree**

Frank and his friends exited the portal and found themselves back in the World Tree. Once they were all out, the portal closed and disappeared without a trace.

"Looks like we're all here," Pandoria said. "So how are we gonna reach Elysium from here?"

Frank then noticed Mythra approach an elevator console and switch to her ascended form. Mythra then pressed a button on the console, causing the elevator to open.

"How did you know to do that?" Frank asked.

Mythra reverted back to normal and said, "I don't know. It just looked… familiar. My body just did it on its own. Anyway, we can use this to travel up."

"Could this be one of your powers as the Master Blade?" Jin questioned.

"Possibly. Regardless, we need to hurry. If this was hardwired into my brain, then it must be the same for Malos."

"Agreed," Frank said. "Let's go."

The party went inside the elevator, which proceeded to take them up.

"I've never seen an elevator like this before," Ethan voiced. "Not even on Earth."

"I don't think Earth could build anything like this in our time," Jason added. "Maybe it can sometime in the distant future though."

**The Marsanes**

Zeke was in a pod, recovering from his experience in Morytha. Once he was done, he exited the pod and found Malos beside him.

"All better now?" Malos said. "I know that it hasn't been easy for you ever since I gave you that Core Crystal. It seems that it's trying to counteract Zeta's darkness inside you, but it's causing your life force to weaken. That pod only slows down its effects, and there's no permanent solution. Eventually you will die. I'm sorry."

Zeke shook his head. "Don't worry. As long as I die after we finish our mission, I don't mind. We made it this far. I plan on seeing it to the end."

"If we could get our hands on Judicium's technology, we could give you some better treatment. Unfortunately, Amalthus keeps it too well guarded for us to even try."

"I knew what I was getting into when I accepted your offer. I have no regrets."

"Even though _she'd_ hate you for it?" Malos asked as he folded his arms. "Especially with you fighting against your own children."

Zeke's eyes filled with remorse. "I know that Selena wouldn't have wanted this. But it's too late. I have to keep my promise."

The male Aegis let out a deep breath. "Alright," he said in resolve. "I'm with you… all the way." He noticed the Blade Eater crack a smile. "You better not get sentimental."

"You were right about Morytha. It seems that destruction is this world's unavoidable fate. Although I do have to wonder, why did it look so much like Earth?"

Malos shrugged. "Beats me. Father never gave me that information. That's one more question we can ask him before we end him." He then turned to Selena's corpse, still frozen in black ice. "Are you sure you still want that thing? Wouldn't it be better for you to bury her?"

"No. She reminds me to never put my trust in the Architect."

"If you say so."

**The World Tree**

The elevator finally came to a stop and opened on a new floor. With no clear way to navigate, the party decided to keep moving forward. Along the way, they came across some strange robots that suddenly attacked them. While they didn't pose much of a threat to them, their very existence was puzzling.

"This is strange," Ethan said as he inspected the destroyed machines. "These robots are highly advanced, just like everything else here. Way too advanced for anything I've ever seen. Just what is this place?"

"Judging from the structure, it seems to be a tower overrun with plant life on the outside," Dromarch mused.

"Makes you wonder who built this place," Mika added.

The group used another elevator to reach the next floor. Upon arriving, they had to fight a few more robots before continuing onward. After a lot of walking, the party decided to take a break on an indoor balcony.

"Brother. Do you believe that Elysium really exists?" Meg questioned.

The Master Driver eyed his sibling in confusion. "Do you even have to ask?"

"Don't you, Meg?" Jason asked. "I doubt you'd be here if you didn't."

The Flamebringer shook her head. "That's not what I meant," Meg clarified. "I'm just trying to understand how everyone feels. After all, the only knowledge people have on Elysium is in fairy tales."

"That is true," Jin replied. "Frank and Mythra have seen Elysium, but it was only in dreams. Do you have anything to add, Mythra?"

The Aegis shook her head. "I'm afraid not. My memories of Elysium are too few to count and too distorted to understand. All I know is that it exists."

"Well you were still in your core at the time," Nia reasoned. "Maybe that's why you don't have much memories of Elysium."

Mythra shrugged. "Maybe."

"The only way we'll find out if Elysium exists is to go there," Frank said. "If we reach Elysium, maybe we'll be able to save Alrest."

"True enough," Meg said. "I've got no reason to not trust you, Brother, or Mythra. Besides, you did promise Mythra that you'd take her there. I'll support you in any way that I can."

"Thanks, sis."

Everyone was feeling a little hungry so Jin and Pyra prepared a light lunch. After cooking, Pyra switched back to Mythra before eating.

"I swear I'll never get used to that," Nia said.

"Says the Flesh Eater with a human form!" Mythra countered.

The air suddenly grew cold. "Enough you two!" Jin exclaimed, prompting them to stop. The air then returned to its normal temperature. "Anyway what do you all think of me and Pyra's cloud sea crab sticks?"

Meg took a bite and said, "Excellent! I love crab!"

"Me too!" Kasandra said excitedly. "You and Pyra are awesome cooks."

Frank then noticed Mythra wolfing down a handful of crab sticks. "Mythra! Slow down! You're gonna choke if you eat too fast!"

"No, I won't!" Mythra protested in-between bites. "I can't help it. Cloud sea crab sticks are my favorite!"

"How are you able to eat all that?!" Sonum questioned. "It can't be normal for someone to eat six crab sticks like they're nothing."

"I'm an Aegis! I need all the fuel I can get!"

Everyone else burst out laughing.

"That certainly brings back memories," Brighid said with a grin.

"Indeed," Jin added.

The party spent the next few minutes eating before continuing onward. They went through several hallways and another elevator before finding themselves at a three-way bridge.

Ethan then noticed a conflicted look on the Master Driver's face. "What's wrong, Frank?"

"It's nothing," Frank said. "I was just thinking about Amalthus."

"The Praetor?" Nia said. "Why?"

"According to Jin, Amalthus hates Blades and humans," Frank explained. "From the sounds of it, he hates the entire world. In old Torna, humans lived together with Blades that eventually became Titans. When Torna was destroyed, so too were those Titans. Amalthus must have known that the Titans have been dying off for centuries."

"The Titans make up the very land we walk on in this world," Jason said. "Without them, Alrest can't survive."

"Maybe the Praetorium saw this as an obstacle to their power," Meg guessed. "If the Blades were becoming Titans and creating new land, people might have had more faith in the Blades. If a new faith emerged, it would threaten the Praetorium and its dogma."

"It's basic war and politics," Frank spoke up, prompting Mythra to give him a concerned look. "What's the point in the end? Hating everyone… hating yourself… It doesn't make any sense. What do you do when you hate the whole world?"

Jin folded his arms. "Destroy it. That's what Amalthus wants. He hates the world so much that he'd rather see it burn than continue on."

Brighid nodded. "The sad part is that there are a lot of mortals like that."

"You guys remember when I told you that talking to the Praetor felt like talking to Malos?" Frank questioned. "I think I know why now. They both want the same thing. The end of the world."

Mythra gritted her teeth in frustration. "I knew something was off about the Praetor. Five hundred years ago, when he asked me to defeat Malos, he _smiled_. I think he enjoyed watching the world go to chaos. I told Addam about it, but he didn't believe me. Maybe if I took him out back then, all of this could've been avoided."

Frank put a hand on the Aegis's shoulder, prompting her to face him. "There's no way you could have known what was going to happen, Mythra. You have to stop worrying about the past and focus on the future instead."

Mythra cracked a light smile. "Thanks, Frank."

Pandoria looked ready to say something, but Jason covered her mouth with his hand. "Let them have their moment," the Thunderbolt whispered. "I think its time we ease up on the teasing."

**Indol**

Praetor Amalthus stood in the Audience Chamber as he reflected on the past, while the monks were doing a ritual. He remembered how when he was a child, his home was attacked by soldiers. He and his mother tried to flee to safety, but they got separated. Amalthus recalled stumbling into one of the soldiers' camps, where he found the body of his mother underneath a tarp. He ended up killing every soldier in the camp while they slept in an act of revenge.

The Praetor was brought out of his thoughts when Hector said, "Your Eminence! We'll be exiting the Cloud Sea shortly!"

"Very well," was all that Amalthus said.

**The Marsanes**

Akhos and Patroka were in the bridge running diagnostics on the Tornan warship. Suddenly the Marsanes shook as something hit it.

"What was that?!" Patroka shouted.

Akhos checked on of the screens and said, "I don't know, but it came from below!"

The Flesh Eaters then watched as the Indoline Titan burst from the Cloud Sea.

"It's Indol!" Akhos exclaimed.

The crystals on the Titan's wings lit up before striking the Marsanes with a laser beam. The ship shook fiercely as it was hit. Smaller Titans wearing armor carrying Indoline soldiers were then seen flying towards the warship before they too attacked it with elemental fire.

"They took us by surprise!" Akhos said bitterly. "Patroka! Prepare the defenses! I'll analyze the threat!"

"I'm on it!" Patroka exclaimed as she messed with her screen. "You need to counterattack, damn it! Stop trying to give orders and get to it!"

"Ugh!"

"And where the hell is Mikhail?! What a time to let us down!"

"Mikhail's down below," Akhos answered as he typed on his console. "Got it! A bypass to the cannons!" He then adjusted his glasses and pressed a button. "Watch this, scum!"

The cannons on the Marsanes opened fire, killing some of the smaller Titans. Meanwhile Mikhail was working on a console in the Core Crystal chamber. The Blade Eater turned around as he heard the door open, seeing Zeke and Malos enter.

The trio looked at the monitor, which showed an army of Blade Bots and Gargoyle Artifices.

"Ready?" Zeke asked.

"Ready," Mikhail confirmed. "The ship will get you as far as the boundary layer. We can drop you and Malos off there. We don't have a choice. Alrest's ships can't make it past the boundary layer."

"Yeah, no sweat," Zeke said with a smile.

Mikhail eyed his leader in concern. "Zeke, are you okay with this?"

The former hero simply looked at his wife's body. "Mikhail, take care of Selena."

"Zeke?" Mikhail said in confusion as he watched Zeke and Malos leave.

The duo made their way to the bridge. "Akhos," Zeke ordered. "Fire up the Blade Bots and Gargoyles." He put his hands on the helm of the ship as he saw their attackers. "Indol got here sooner than we thought."

Malos folded his arms. "They gave up on the boy pretty quick," the Aegis said. "No surprise."

"Hatch open!" Patroka said. "Ready to launch!"

"Okay! Launch!" Zeke declared.

Blade Bots and Gargoyles exited the Marsanes and began to battle Indol's forces in the sky. The sky was filled with elemental fire and lasers as the two forces clashed.

**Inside the World Tree**

Frank and his friends were still traveling through the World Tree. They quickly found the elevator to the next floor, but they had to go another room to get a keycode to activate it. There they came across a large robot acting as a guard, which strangely didn't attack them when they climbed up a pillar.

Once they got the elevator activated, they proceeded to the next floor. They had to then fight through a horde of enemies to reach the next elevator.

Once they were standing outside the elevator, Jason said, "I never would have thought that the World Tree looked like this on the inside."

"It definitely appears to be man-made," Dromarch added. "It must have been created by the same civilization as Morytha."

"The birthplace of the Architect," Frank said. "At least that's what Zeke claims."

"Then maybe the Architect built this place," Jason guessed. "Do you really think that we'll find him at the top? Judging on what we saw in Morytha, it looks like this all happened billions of years ago. Not even Titans live that long."

"Even Mythra and Pyra haven't met the Architect," Frank said. "But still… this tower exists. So…"

"Seeing is believing," Meg finished, getting a nod from her brother. "We'll just have to find out for ourselves. There's no use in speculating."

"I have a question for you Blades," Nia spoke up. "Have you ever wanted to extend your life?"

"You mean avoid returning to our cores?" Brighid asked.

"Yeah."

"That's a tough question. I would like to keep learning about my former lives, but to keep living after Meg is dead…" Brighid glanced at her Driver. "Oh, I'm sorry."

The Flamebringer simply shook her head in dismissal. "No, I understand."

The Jewel of the Empire let out a sigh. "The idea of living without her does not appeal to me."

"Yeah, same here," Pandoria said. "There's no way I'd want to keep living after Jason dies."

"And I would rather stay by Lady Sonum's side than be without her," Dromarch added.

"Well I don't even have that option," Kasandra said. "My core isn't whole anymore. When Mika dies, I'll die too. But I don't mind… not as long as we're together."

"Kasandra," Mika said slowly. "You're gonna make me blush."

"As for me, I'm an artificial Blade," Poppi spoke up. "It's sad for me to think about not being with Ethan."

Nia then turned towards Jin and Mythra. "What about you two? Would you want to extend your lives after Frank dies?"

"No," Jin said firmly. "Even though I have my memories of Lora, I still have a hard time accepting that she's gone. There's no way I can go through that again with Frank. I'll stay by his side till the very end."

Mythra shrugged. "You don't need to be so dramatic, Jin. But I know where you're coming from. However… I have to admit that sometimes I wonder why I keep on living forever, with no end in sight. But, it's different now. I'm glad I've stayed alive all this time. Parting is always sad, but it's just part of being me. Though… maybe… Maybe one day I wouldn't mind closing my eyes forever… with someone special by my side."

"Mythra," Frank muttered to himself.

"Huh," Nia said, sounding impressed. "I didn't expect you of all people to get that deep, Mythra. You're more like Pyra than you think."

"If you say so," Mythra passed off. "So why'd you ask us that question?"

"I'm a Flesh Eater," Nia answered. "I don't know how long I'll live for. For all I know, I could snuff out tomorrow. But I can say this much. My life and death aren't tied to any human."

"And?" Mika questioned.

"I've been thinking about Zeke and his Torna lot. They've been collecting Core Crystals, yet they've only used a few of them, with Zeke not resonating with any of them as far as we know. But he hates humans. He could have used the crystals to make Blades and turn them into Flesh Eaters, but he doesn't. He could've easily expanded Torna's numbers with them."

"They do lack in numbers," Jin mused. "Is it really just the five of them?"

"I think so," Nia said. "Maybe Zeke won't resonate with any Blade because he doesn't want them to live on without their Drivers."

"That is a possibility," Frank replied. "I think his battle with Zeta changed him in ways we can't even imagine. Maybe that's the real reason why he never came back for me and Meg. He didn't want that darkness to infect us."

The Special Inquisitor folded her arms. "Maybe. But that still doesn't excuse everything he's done against us. He has to answer for his crimes."

"I know that. I just can't help but feel sorry for him, though. Maybe if things went differently, Zeke would be on our side instead of Malos's."

**To be continued**


	40. Chapter 40: The Master Driver

**Chapter 40- The Master Driver**

The party used the elevator to reach the next floor, which was just a long hallway. They went down the hallway, when suddenly the World Tree shook as an explosion happened outside.

"What was that?!" Mika shouted.

"Maybe a battle," Meg guessed.

The party hurried through the hallway to investigate and found themselves outside the World Tree.

"So this is what the World Tree is really like," Nia said as she examined the Tree's branches. "These aren't leaves, they're glyphs."

"Guys, over there!" Ethan exclaimed as he pointed towards the Indoline Titan and the Marsanes, who were fighting each other.

"That's a Tornan warship," Azurda said. "I didn't think there were any of them still left."

"I didn't think Indol could make it up this high," Jin added.

"It appears that Indol has modified their Titan as old Temperantia did with theirs. But that much firepower. I did not know that Indol possessed so much force."

"No need to ask what they plan to do with it," Brighid said.

"They anticipated it," Meg said. "They knew that Zeke and Malos would try to ascend."

The Master Driver turned to face the Flamebringer. "You're saying that Father is in that ship?"

"Yes. No doubt about it. But it also seems like Zeke was prepared for this."

Mythra nodded. "Yeah. He's using Gargoyles, Malos's Artifices from the Aegis War. It's the same type of Artifice we fought on Earth."

"This isn't going to end well for either side," Frank said. "But this does give us an opportunity. We can reach Elysium while they're busy fighting."

The party ran across the platforms on the outside of the World Tree. Meanwhile the Indoline Titan fired a stream of blue lasers at the Marsanes, prompting the Tornan warship to return fire with red lasers. Amalthus simply sat on his throne as he thought about the past.

**Indol- 500 years ago**

Amalthus was in his quarters, staring at a green Aegis core and a silver Aegis core that laid on his desk. He remembered watching Malos completely decimate a whole fleet of Titan warships with his Aegis powers.

The Indoline extended his hand towards the green Aegis core when suddenly Malos said, "You know you can't control either of them." Amalthus turned to face his Blade. "I hear you've been promoted by the Praetor."

"Malos? Why are you…?" Amalthus started to say.

"I'm here to say goodbye," the Aegis said. "Or would you rather I leave without saying anything?"

"'Goodbye'? What would compel you to leave me? You are my…"

"I've got full control over my powers now. It doesn't matter if you die. I can keep on going."

Amalthus looked shocked. "What are you saying, Malos?"

"The Praetorium, the believers, I despise them all," Malos explained. "Humans aren't fit to breathe our air. So, I'm going to give you what you always wanted."

"But I never…"

"I'm clearing out the worthless," Malos continued. "Isn't that why you sought the Architect? Why you climbed the World Tree? Yet look at you now."

The Indoline couldn't muster a reply. He could only watch as Malos left. Amalthus then turned towards his two remaining Aegis cores.

"There must be someone out there who can use these cores," he said to himself. "I'll send them after Malos." Suddenly the lights in the room went dark. Amalthus was then knocked to the ground by an unknown assailant. When the lights came back on, he saw that the silver Aegis core was gone. "What? How?"

Meanwhile on the outskirts of Indol, Klaus, garbed in a cloak, held the silver Aegis core in his hand. "That was too close," Klaus said. "Sorry Amalthus, but this core is too risky to use." He then boarded his ship and fled into the night. Suddenly the core began glowing before quickly stopping as well as part of it going dark, leaving Klaus clueless as to what happened.

**Present Day**

Amalthus then sneered as he saw as Frank and his friends appeared on a holographic screen in front of him.

**The World Tree**

The party just finished fighting off an Ansel (a large aggressive bird) when their path was suddenly blocked by a group of six Indoline warrior monks and one of their flying Titans (an Indoline Star).

"To the Aegis and her Driver," one of the monks said. "We're here to pass an order from His Eminence. You are to use the Aegis's power to bring down that ship!"

"Huh?" Frank said in confusion.

"What's wrong?" the monk said impatiently. "This is your duty, pilgrim!"

"No, it's not!" Frank retorted. "I know what Amalthus did to Torna! There's no way in hell that I'd help him after finding out the truth about him!"

"Is that so?" the monk questioned. "Then we must take the Aegis into custody."

"I get it now," Azurda spoke up. "They just wanted to use Mythra's power to burn away their little problem."

"I'm not going anywhere with you creeps!" Mythra exclaimed.

Jin glared angrily at the monks. "It's because of your praetor that Lora lost her life! We'll stop Zeke, but we'll do it _our_ way! Now leave while you still can!"

The monks looked unfazed by the threat. "We do not negotiate with holy decrees," said one of the monks. "Since you will not comply, you will receive righteous chastisement!"

The monks readied their weapons, prompting the party to do so too. The Indoline monks, and the Titan then charged at the Drivers and attacked. Frank, Mythra and Jin decided to deal with the Indoline Star while the others fought off the warrior monks.

The Master Driver switched the Aegis Sword for the Ice Nodachi. "Heavenly Disrupt!" Frank began the Art by doing a palm strike on the Indoline Star's chest, stunning it. He then did a downward slash, toppling it to the ground, before launching it into the sky with an upward spin attack. Frank then finished the Art by smashing the Titan into the ground with a downward slash.

"Nice," Jin commented. "You did the entire Driver Combo with one Art. Great work."

Frank smirked. "Thanks. I based it off your Ice Revolution attack. I hope you don't mind."

"Don't worry about it. In fact, I might try incorporating it into my moveset."

The duo then noticed the Indoline Star get back up. "Just stay down!" Frank declared as he went back to using the Aegis Sword. He stabbed the Titan in the chest with Sword Bash, causing it to fall limply into the Cloud Sea.

Meanwhile, Meg and the others were holding their own against the warrior monks. The monks clearly underestimated the party, as Ethan and Mika each finished off one while Nia and Sonum killed another. The three remaining monks were forced to the edge of the platform with no way out.

"Surrender now and we'll spare your lives!" Meg commanded. "You can't take us all on!"

The monks growled in frustration before jumping off the platform and each landing onto Indoline Stars and retreating.

"You cowards!" Jason exclaimed. "Come back here and fight!"

"This isn't good," Frank said nervously. "Once the Praetor knows we won't help him, he'll…"

Suddenly a vortex of green light shot out from the Titan's back. Mythra and the other Blades, except Poppi, suddenly found themselves struggling to stay up. Even Azurda was affected, even though he was in Frank's hood.

"Gah!" Mythra exclaimed as she clutched her core. She looked ready to collapse, but Frank caught her before she did.

"W-what's going on?!" Dromarch said strenuously. "I can't… move!"

"Neither can… I!" Pandoria added as she used Jason for support. The other Drivers, except Ethan, also supported their Blades.

Jin gasped as he realized what was going on while he clutched his chest. "This… power…" the Paragon of Torna said with difficulty. "But… how?!"

Suddenly a large hologram of Amalthus appeared before the group. "Please forgive my interference," the Praetor said. "Time runs short."

The Ice Blade glared venomously at the Indoline. "Amalthus!"

Amalthus gazed down on the Paragon of Torna and said, "Judging from the look in your eyes, I believe you finally remembered what happened on Spessia before I sank it. No matter. That knowledge won't help you." A blue upside-down triangle-shaped Core Crystal appeared on Amalthus's forehead, causing Jin and Mythra to gasp in shock.

"Th-that's Haze's Core Crystal!" Mythra exclaimed.

"Fan la Norne's…?" Sonum questioned. "Of course. That's the other half!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Frank asked in confusion.

"A-Amalthus," Nia struggled to say. "He took half of Fan la Norne's Core Crystal. He's using… her power!"

"You bastard!" Jin shouted in rage. "How dare you use Haze's power as your own!" He suddenly cried out in pain as the pressure around him increased, making it difficult for him to even stand.

"That's not all," Amalthus said. "This is in fact my original, primal power."

Suddenly Mythra found her Aegis powers activating against her will. Her core and tiara began to light up with green light.

"Mythra! What's wrong?!" Frank exclaimed in worry.

"S-Siren!" Mythra said with difficulty. "N-no! S-stop!"

Mythra then found herself on her knees, her Driver right beside her, calling out her name. Amalthus simply smiled as he watched the Aegis struggle to fight for control. Suddenly a gold particle beam struck the Marsanes, shaking the whole vessel.

"Was that Siren?!" Akhos shouted. "Is it the Aegis?!"

Malos chuckled in amusement. "No," he said. "It's Amalthus."

Zeke gritted his teeth. "How do you know?"

"He's my Driver, and I'm an Aegis," Malos explained. "If that energy gets even stronger, Amalthus won't just control other Blades, but Mythra as well. He certainly doesn't disappoint."

**Back to the others**

"I am the Driver of the Master Blade!" Amalthus declared as Frank helped Mythra to her feet. The other Blades also found themselves able to move again. "Bow before me, the Master Driver. I possess the power to command all Blades. Every Blade alive… even the very Titans are under my control!"

**The Marsanes**

"That must be how he repelled the attack," Patroka guessed. "Sooner or later, he'll control us too."

"No, he won't," Malos replied. "Half-breeds like you won't come under his control. The most he can do is dampen your power. However, he can't even do that against Blade Eaters, like Zeke and Mikhail. That power restrictor was the reason we built those Blade Bots and gathered the Gargoyles. The Blade Bots are artificial Blades, so Amalthus's power won't work on them and the Gargoyles are under my control. Amalthus can try to control me, but it won't work. I've long since severed my link with him."

Mikhail then appeared on the monitor. "We're nearly at the boundary layer. Zeke! Malos! Get ready!"

"Roger!" Zeke said. "Malos, let's move!"

"Yeah!" Malos followed his leader to the exit the bridge. "Mikhail! Akhos! Patroka! It's up to you now!"

"Sure," Akhos said.

"Yeah, we get it," Patroka added.

"When you see our daddy dear, tell him I said 'thanks for everything'," Mikhail said.

Malos simply smirked before going after Zeke.

**The World Tree**

Frank and his friends watched as Indol and Torna continued to fight, with casualties on both sides. They then saw the Marsanes prepare to dock on the World Tree.

"The ship!" Ethan cried out. "It's stopping!"

"They must be trying to get inside!" Jason said.

Frank then turned to the holographic Praetor. "Amalthus! We'll stop Zeke, but you have to stop this!"

"You're speaking nonsense, _boy_," Amalthus said. "Now is the hour of their doom. You leave me no choice but to perform your duty for you."

"You mean destroying Zeke and Torna?!" Frank shouted. "We're only trying to stop them! He may be my enemy, but Zeke is still my father! I won't kill him or any member of Torna!"

Amalthus's eyes filled with disappointment. "You think you can sway them with words of reason?"

"Yes! I know what caused Zeke to change into the man he is now. I also know what you did to old Torna five hundred years ago! You destroyed it, not Mythra!"

"I was nothing but the mouthpiece of the Architect," Amalthus reasoned.

"I'll ask him myself when I meet him!" Frank declared. "About me, and about Mythra and Pyra!"

The Praetor growled at the Aegis Driver in anger. "That is not your right! It is mine!" Amalthus's core began glowing as he forced Mythra to use Siren again. The particle beam came, but it narrowly missed the Marsanes, making Amalthus furious at the Aegis. "You resist me?! You dare to defy me?!"

Mythra breathed heavily as she clutched her chest. "Amalthus!" she said slowly. "You won't get what you want! I… I'm… Frank's Blade!"

Mika gasped in realization. "That's right!" the Chaosbringer cried out. "Frank! You're the Aegis's Driver! There's nothing he can do that you can't!"

Frank stared at his palms. "Does that mean…?"

"Remember what Marth said?" Nia pressed further. "Power depends on the heart of its wielder. Now show that creep what you can really do!"

The Aegis Driver nodded. He drew his sword and closed his eyes to focus. '_Come on,_' Frank thought. '_I need more power. The power to protect my friends!_' Suddenly he saw a vision of a large golden crystal that resembled an Aegis core and felt power rising within him. With a shout, Frank raised his sword skyward, releasing a golden beam from the Aegis Sword, which bathed the party in bright light. The Praetor could only watch as he lost visual on the party.

When the light faded, Mythra felt the effects of Amalthus's power fade away. "I can… move," she said in disbelief. Mythra turned and saw the Master Driver nearly collapse in exhaustion. "Frank!" she exclaimed in worry as she supported him.

"I… I'm alright," Frank said with some difficulty. "Amalthus isn't the Master Driver. I am! I… I won't let him get away with this. He's just manipulating humans and Blades alike. That can't be what the Architect wanted." He then glared at the Indoline Titan. "Give it up, Amalthus! You won't control Mythra or anyone else! We can handle Zeke and Malos, but we'll do it _our_ way!"

Frank then began leading his friends towards the Marsanes, which was still docked on a higher level.

**The Marsanes**

Akhos and Patroka were busy operating the warship's defenses.

"Where are they?" Patroka asked.

"The tree. Soon Malos will activate Aion. If we can hold this position and prevent the scum from ascending, then victory is ours."

"Okay then. We've got to go all out!"

The Blade Bots and Gargoyles were holding their own against the Indoline, easily decimating their ranks. Some of the Blade Bots managed to destroy one of Indol's four towers (all of which had a pillar of light at the top), sending it tumbling into the Cloud Sea. Strangely, the vortex seemed to grow weaker with the tower's destruction, something Frank and the others noticed.

**Indol**

"Your Eminence!" Hector cried out in panic. "The tower!"

Amalthus, however, looked unfazed. "At peace, Brother. The field of effect is only a little reduced." He sneered as he felt a strange presence. "Hm. It is drawing near. Gather the Brothers together! We must exterminate the vermin!" The visual on Frank and his friends was restored, prompting Amalthus to clench his fists in frustration. "No soul alive… may _sully_ the Architect's presence!" His Core Crystal began glowing again, only this time he wasn't targeting Mythra or any of the other Blades, but something else entirely.

**The Cloud Sea**

The Mor Ardain Titan rose to its full height as it neared the World Tree. The purple orbs in its chest lit up before before it fired a beam at the World Tree, heading straight for Frank and the others.

**To be continued**


	41. Chapter 41: End of the World

**Chapter 41- End of the World**

**The World Tree**

The Ardainian Titan's attack struck the World Tree. Luckily for the party, the beam just barely missed them by hitting above their heads.

"That was too close!" Ethan shouted in fear. "If we were a little higher, that would have hit us!"

"Where did that even come from?" Sonum asked.

The party turned towards the Cloud Sea and saw the Ardainian Titan rise up to its full height.

"Mor Ardain?!" Meg exclaimed in disbelief. "Impossible!"

**Hardhaigh Castle**

Niall was in the throne room when Luke stormed in.

"Majesty!" the general exclaimed. "Are you hurt?!"

The emperor shook his head in dismissal. "No. What has happened?"

"The Titan has just released a vast amount of energy from its chest! We think the blackout might be linked to it." Suddenly a soldier hurried in and whispered something in the general's ear, making him worry even more. "Majesty, we strayed off course, but we've confirmed our current position!"

"Where are we?"

"Just look outside!"

Niall looked out the window and gasped in shock. "That's the World Tree!" Niall then noticed the Titan lift its head up. "Again? Curses! Mor Ardain cannot afford to lose any more energy!"

**The World Tree**

Frank and the others watched as parts of Mor Ardain's Titan lit up.

"Is it going to shoot again?" Azurda questioned. "That's not good. The Ardainian Titan is said to be at the end of its lifespan. If it were to release any more of the ether energy stored within its body…"

"What would happen?" Nia asked nervously.

"It would collapse," Azurda said grimly. "Its joints would give way under its own weight."

The Ardainian Titan fired another laser at the World Tree, causing an explosion near the Marsanes. The blast nearly fried the circuits of the warship in the bridge.

"Great," Akhos said sarcastically. "Now he summons Titans?!"

Patroka gasped as she saw something. "Akhos, over there!"

The Flesh Eaters watched as the Urayan Titan emerged from the Cloud Sea.

"Now Uraya?!" Akhos exclaimed. "Curse that Amalthus. Is every Titan under his control?! What's next, Earth?!"

**Fonsa Myrma**

Queen Raqura and her guards felt the Titan shake fiercely.

"My Queen!" one of the guards said as they looked at the sky. "Is that?!"

"The World Tree," Raqura said grimly. "Mor Ardain and Indol are here too. What the blazes is going on out there?"

Meanwhile Minoth and Iona were watching from the theater.

"Grandpa, what's going on?" Iona asked.

The Flesh Eater tried his best to comfort the girl. "I don't know, but it can't be good."

'_Frank. Mythra. I hope you're here, because we would sure use you right now,_' Minoth said to himself.

**The World Tree**

The party watched as the Urayan Titan fired a barrage of lasers at the World Tree, creating a series of explosions that shook the tree. Mika nearly fell off, but thankfully Kasandra pulled him to safety.

**The Marsanes**

"This is madness," Akhos said. "Does he mean to gather all the Titans in one place?"

"Akhos! Patroka!" Mikhail said over the speaker, since he was in the core chamber. "Go! Go keep Zeke and Malos safe!"

Both Flesh Eaters were confused. "What is this all of a sudden?" Akhos asked.

"We must be ready for the worst," Mikhail stated.

"But what about Indol?!" Patroka questioned. "They're gathering Titans from…"

"I'll deal with it," Mikhail said firmly.

Akhos's eyes widened. "Deal with it? Alone? Don't be a fool!"

"It's fine," Mikhail assured. "I put this all together in the first place, remember? I can control everything from here. Besides," he glanced at Selena's body, "I'm not exactly alone here."

Patroka's eyes flashed with worry. "Mik…"

"Go and do what I can't!"

Akhos gritted his teeth before relenting. "Okay. Patroka. Let's move."

The Flesh Eaters prepared to leave the bridge to exit the ship. When Patroka was about to leave, Mikhail said, "Patroka! I love you."

The female Flesh Eater growled in frustration. "You are so gross, Mik," she said. "Make sure you come back alive, s-so I can punch you for saying that." She then left.

"That's a deal," Mikhail promised. He then placed his hands on the console and made the Marsanes transform into a giant robot.

Frank and his friends were awestruck. "Their ship," the Master Driver said. "It… changed."

Jin nodded. "That's Tornan engineering. Not only did their vessels not require Titans, they could transform into them too."

Meanwhile, Mikhail readied for battle. "You old fool. Here I come!"

The Marsanes flew straight for Indol and punched the Titan in its neck.

"So it begins, a second Aegis War," Jason said. "We should use this as a chance to catch up with Zeke."

Frank faced the Thunderbolt and said, "But, the Titans…"

"Brother," Meg spoke up. "Let's focus on what we can do right now."

"Meg…"

"Don't worry. The emperor's our cousin. He's tougher than he looks."

Frank reluctantly gave in before they continued going after Zeke and Malos. Meanwhile, the Ardainian Titan fired another laser at the Marsanes, which countered with its own.

"Grr," Mikhail said. "I've had it! You're done!"

The Blade Eater had the Marsanes fire a laser at the Ardainian Titan's chest, injuring it somewhat.

**Hardhaigh Castle**

Emperor Niall and General Luke could feel the aftershocks from Mikhail's attack.

"Your Majesty! Are you alright?" Luke asked in concern.

Niall nodded. "I am. Issue the evacuation order across the capital. All army vessels can be used, even my private ones. Save as many as possible!"

"You should go first, sire."

"Don't worry about me. Hurry, now! Mor Ardain cannot hold, unfortunate though it may be…"

Luke bowed his head reluctantly. "As you wish, Your Majesty." The general then left to fulfill his orders.

When they were gone, Niall turned towards the World Tree. "Frank… Meg… if you're there… please stop this. Save Mor Ardain and the world."

**The Praetorium**

"Your Eminence," one of the monks said. "The foes have been sighted."

Amalthus looked somewhat impressed at seeing the Marsanes. "The lost technology of old Torna? How astounding that it still works."

Mikhail then appeared on the holographic monitor. "Surprised, eh?" he said. "There are still a few of us hanging on."

"A survivor," Amalthus said. "Flesh Eater. So you followed Zeke down that dark path. In that case…" the Praetor attempted to use his powers on Mikhail, but it had no effect.

"Oh, nice try," Mikhail said in amusement. "But that's not gonna work on me. That's because I'm a Blade Eater, just like you and Zeke."

"Impossible!" Amalthus rejected. "The Blade Eater technology is not known outside the Praetorium! It's a miracle that Zeke is even one."

"You're right. But you're not the only one. Or have you forgotten what you did before implanting your Core Crystal?! You captured me and several other children on Spessia and implanted us with full Core Crystals! And then you tried to dispose us when we didn't meet your expectations. But I lived on! You killed Lora, Jin and Haze's Driver, and one of my only friends. I know Lora made Jin promise not to take revenge on you for her death, so I'll have to do it in his stead!"

The Marsanes grabbed hold on the Indoline Titan, where Mikhail saw civilians fleeing in terror.

"You didn't even evacuate them!" Mikhail shouted in outrage. "You're the same as ever, Amalthus!" He then had the Marsanes slam the Titan into the World Tree and punched it in the neck.

The Titan managed to break free, but the Marsanes was in hot pursuit.

"This is a fight I can't back down from!" Suddenly the Marsanes was attacked from behind. Mikhail and Frank's group watched as Genbu emerged from the Cloud Sea.

"Not Tantal too!" Mika said.

"Pandy, can't you…" Jason started.

The Thunder Blade shook her head. "I'm sorry, my Prince, but my words aren't reaching him."

The Tantalese prince gritted his teeth in frustration. "Damn it. What the hell is the Praetor thinking? At this rate, he'll destroy Alrest before Malos does!"

"Desperation," Meg explained. "It's desperation for not getting Mythra. What is his plan? Why is Amalthus so intent on getting the Aegis?"

"That's it!" Frank declared. "We can't ignore this anymore! We have to stop the Titans from fighting now!"

"That's easy to say, but what can we do when they're all the way out there?" Mika questioned.

Frank then noticed the towers on the Indol Titan. "Of course. Those towers must amplify Amalthus's power. It got weaker when one of them was destroyed. I bet if we take them all out, Amalthus won't be able to control the Titans anymore."

Jin turned towards the Aegis. "Mythra. Can Siren's particle cannon destroy those towers?"

Mythra nodded in confirmation. "Of course it can. But the Titan's moving so much that I can't get a clear shot. If we're not careful, we could hit the city. Innocent people would die."

_I have an idea,_ Pyra said before taking over. "If we can get closer, we might be able to do something. Remember our fight with Zeke? By rewriting the physical laws of the surroundings, we were able to match Zeke's speed. If we rewrote them in the same way, in the midst of battle between those two…" She then switched to Mythra. "From our point of view, it'll be like they've frozen in place. Yeah, that could work."

"Except there's one problem," Nia said. "How would you even get there?"

"I think I know a way." Ethan turned to his artificial Blade. "Poppi, do you think you can carry Frank and Mythra to the Indol Titan?"

"Of course I can."

"Then let's do it," Frank said before facing the Paragon of Torna. "Jin, once we take off, I want you and the others to go after Zeke. We'll catch up as soon as we can."

Jin nodded in acknowledgement. "Understood. Good luck out there."

"Just one heads-up before we go," Ethan said. "Poppi can only fly for a _limited_ time. You'll to get as close to the Titan as possible on land _before_ taking off."

Jason then noticed a large platform on the floor above them that extended towards the Indoline Titan. "There. That looks like as a good place as any."

"Yeah," Mythra said. "Let's get going!" She then grabbed Frank by the arm and pulled him into a passageway leading back into the World Tree. The others quickly followed them, while also noticing the absence of the Master Driver's protests.

"Okay, what happened to Frank?" Pandoria asked in confusion. "I've never seen him _not_ protest when Mythra drags him around."

Jin simply smirked in amusement. "I think we should just let them be. It took them this long just to get to this state."

"Yeah," Jason added.

The party made their way across a platform where they had to battle a Gerolf Sovereign, which was a large bipedal robot that occasionally released three smaller Sovereigns. The smaller robots were easily taken care of, but the larger one took some time to kill. Once their path was cleared, the party proceeded into an elevator to reach the next floor. They then followed a passageway and found themselves right by the platform Jason mentioned.

Unfortunately, Indoline soldiers and Blade Bots were fighting on it, making it difficult for the party to advance as they had to battle both groups.

"There's so many of them!" Nia exclaimed as she parried an Indoline staff with her Catalyst Scimitar.

Ethan switched to his Drill Shield and fired two Jet Biters at a group of Blade Bots, destroying them in an explosion. "We have to push through! Once we reach the end of the platform, Frank and Mythra should be able to reach Indol!"

Things seemed to turn in the party's favor as they were slowly defeating the Indoline soldiers and the Blade Bots. They even managed to make a hole in their ranks to advance. However, before Frank and the others could move, two Gargoyles suddenly blocked their way.

"Crap!" Sonum shouted. "Can things get any worse?"

"Uh, guys!" Mika cried out as he glanced behind him.

Everyone turned and saw more Indoline soldiers approach from behind, cutting off any chance of escape. They also had Indoline Stars and one large Titan weapon.

"You had to ask?" Mythra said sarcastically.

"Hold your ground, everyone!" Meg ordered as she readied her whipswords. "We have to get Frank, Mythra, and Poppi across so they can stop Amalthus!"

The Titan weapon began charging its laser to fire on the party when suddenly a silver particle beam struck it from above. The attack stunned the Titan and knocked it off its feet. The Indoline soldiers, despite being confused on what happened, prepared to advance, but they were stopped when something landed in front of them.

"Sorry guys," the new arrival said as he stood to face the Indoline soldiers. "But that's as far as you'll get."

Frank recognized the voice and turned towards the person as the young man drew Lunara and embedded it in the platform before resting his hand on its pommel.

"Stand down. None of you are getting past me!" Marth declared with a confident smirk. His appearance had slightly changed, with his coat now having silver trimming while maintaining its black color. His ears were no longer pointed, and he also had a silver Aegis core on his chest. Lunara and Solaris also had silver Aegis cores in their hilts as well.

"Marth?" Frank said in confusion.

**To be continued**


	42. Chapter 42: The Third Aegis

**Chapter 42- The Third Aegis**

"No way," Frank said with a stunned expression. "It's Marth!"

One of the Indoline soldiers eyed the Dark Swordsman. "Stand down, swordsman," the monk said arrogantly. "You are making a grave mistake by intervening with the Praetor's decree. The Aegis must be apprehended, and her allies slain."

"Is that so?" Marth questioned. "Unfortunately for you, I couldn't care less what your Praetor thinks. If he or anyone else threatens my friends, then they have to deal with me!"

"You can't seriously believe that you can take on all of us and our Titan weapons, do you?"

Marth simply smirked before shrugging. "Eh, I've been in worse situations than this. But there's only one way to find out for sure."

The Indoline monk growled in frustration. "Arrogant whelp! Destroy him in Praetor Amalthus's name!"

The Indoline Stars and Titan weapon prepared to fire at the Spriggan.

"Watch out, Marth!" Frank cried out in warning. The Master Driver's eyes widened as Marth briefly glanced at him with a confident look before facing the Indoline forces.

The Titans then fired their lasers at the Spriggan, prompting him to draw Lunara out of the ground. He then proceeded to activate «Deadly Sins» and cut through most of the lasers with his sword with ease. However, he missed one attack, which continued sailing towards the dual-wielder. Suddenly Marth raised his left hand and summoned a silver defensive barrier that blocked the laser.

"What?!" the monk shouted in shock.

"That's a Blade defense barrier," Jin said in realization. "But how can Marth use it?"

Suddenly both Mythra and Malos sensed a unique ether signature coming from the Dark Swordsman.

"So," Malos said with a wicked grin. "My other partner has finally awakened." Zeke gave the male Aegis a confused look.

"It can't be," Mythra said in disbelief. "Marth! Are you…?"

The Spriggan nodded. "Yes. It's a long story but turns out that I'm an Aegis too. Oh, and I didn't come alone!"

Marth then snapped his fingers, causing a silver portal to open up behind the Silver Aegis, allowing the Alfheim Warriors to enter Alrest. Strangely though, they were all in regular clothing.

"We're back!" Kirito shouted.

"Hey, Mythra! Long time no see!" Yuuki said while waving fiercely to the female Aegis.

Marth turned towards his guildmates and said, "You guys ready for this?"

"Yeah!" the Alfheim Warriors exclaimed.

Marth's core lit up as he released a silver wave of energy that spread across the World Tree, reaching even Indol and the other nations. Suddenly Kirito and the other Alfheim Warriors morphed into their ALO avatars and subsequently drew their weapons.

"What the?" Frank said in confusion.

"It's called the Fenrir Effect," Marth explained. "It allows anyone from my world to access their powers from the virtual world in the real one. We didn't need it last time because of the rift, but this time's different."

"We can handle these guys!" Asuna declared as she held her rapier. "Now go!"

Suddenly a Gargoyle landed in front of the Silver Aegis and his friends and readied its laser.

"I don't think so," Marth said as his Aegis Core lit up. A silver particle beam then struck the Gargoyle from above, annihilating it. The Alrestians were shocked even further at what they saw.

"Marth must have his own Siren now that he's an Aegis," Mythra said. "I think they can handle it from here. We have our own priorities to deal with."

Frank slowly nodded. "Yeah. Marth! We're gonna go on ahead! Cover us!"

The Silver Aegis nodded in acknowledgement. "Will do. Good luck!"

As the Alfheim Warriors proceeded to engage the Indoline soldiers and their Titans, Frank and his friends fought off the Gargoyles blocking their path. Mythra made quick work of them by using her Siren's particle cannon, allowing the party to advance. A series of explosions could be heard as Marth and his group battled their foes with their magic and Sword Skills.

The party had to take down a few more Blade Bots and Indoline soldiers as they hurried across the platform before reaching their destination.

"All right, you're up, Poppi," Frank said.

The artificial Blade nodded in acknowledgement before hovering at the end of the platform. She then extended her hands to both Frank and Mythra. "You both need to hold on tight. I calculate that this will be a rough flight."

Both Frank and Mythra acknowledged and each took one of Poppi's hands, prompting the artificial Blade to fly towards the Indoline Titan.

Meanwhile Amalthus watched them on his projector. "Frank and the Aegis?" he asked in confusion. "What are they doing?" The Praetor then gasped in realization. "Unless… Open fire! Don't let them near!"

The Indoline Titan fired multiple barrages of blasts at the trio, prompting Poppi to take evasive action. Both Frank and Mythra grunted as they desperately held onto the artificial Blade.

Once they were above the Titan, Poppi shouted, "Frank!"

The Master Driver knew what she was about to do and nodded. Poppi proceeded to throw him and Mythra at the Titan before flying back to rejoin the others. Frank and Mythra, meanwhile, were free-falling towards Indol's Titan, with the Emerald Aegis using her defense barrier to protect them from its attacks.

"Frank!" Mythra shouted in concern.

"Just do it from here," Frank said calmly. "We're in a good spot. Let's go!"

"Okay." Mythra lowered her defense barrier and took on her ascended form, with her wings spread out.

Frank then swung the true Aegis Sword, causing a large green ether barrier to surround the area. Everything seemed to stop as Mythra looked down at the three remaining pillars.

"I've locked on!" Mythra declared before raising her hand skyward, her tiara and core glowing. "Siren!"

Suddenly three gold particle beams came down from the sky and struck the pillars. None of them could withstand the Artifice's attacks and quickly crumbled. An explosion of green ether energy quickly followed, blowing Frank and Mythra towards the World Tree. They were both falling towards the Cloud Sea.

"Mythra!" Frank shouted as he sheathed his sword and reached for the Emerald Aegis, who was below him.

"Frank!" Mythra cried back.

The Master Driver was able to pull the Aegis to him and quickly fired his grapple above them. The grapple latched onto a part of the World Tree, prompting both Frank and Mythra to swing towards a platform and land on it. Once they landed, Mythra returned to her normal form and Frank retracted his grapple. They were then joined by the rest of their party as they looked towards the Titans, who were no longer attacking.

"It worked!" Mika shouted in joy.

"Never had a doubt," Pandoria added.

"You were awesome, Poppi!" Ethan praised as his Blade landed next to him. He had also switched back to his saber.

"It was nothing, Ethan," Poppi said.

Meanwhile, Amalthus looked furious as he saw his amp towers were all destroyed.

"Curse those fools," the Praetor said bitterly. "Do you even realize what you've done?!"

Suddenly the Indoline Titan fired a laser directly at the group, who were all too shocked to move. Frank and the others braced for the attack to hit, but it never did. After a moment, they all turned and saw that the Marsanes had blocked the laser by using itself as a shield.

"What the?" Nia said in shock. "Why?"

"What are you hanging around here for?" Mikhail said over a speaker. "Go!"

"Mikhail?" Jin said. "Is that you in there?"

Mikhail nodded as he stared at them in the monitor. "You guys are chasing Zeke and Malos, right? I said go!"

"But why would you…?" Jin asked in confusion.

"Beats me," Mikhail admitted. "I don't even know any more. I really hate this world. And humans most of all."

"You used to _be_ human!" Jin argued.

"But there were people I loved," Mikhail continued. "When I look at you guys, it reminds me of them. And Jin, I never forgot what you and Lora did for me when I was a kid. You were one of the few people I would ever call my family. I wonder if the others were still around, perhaps things would have gone differently."

"Mikhail," the Paragon of Torna whispered in awe.

"Hey, Frank. Have you found your answer?"

The Master Driver was confused at first, but quickly nodded. "I have, and it's pretty cool."

Mikhail brought his hands to his waist. "I see. Well then…" he said. "I'll leave Zeke to you." The Marsanes began turning towards Indol. "Now go! Get after him already! Tell him your answer!"

The party turned and began going down the platform to enter the World Tree. Meanwhile, with a heavy breath, Mikhail prepared to make his last stand against Amalthus. The Marsanes charged at Indol, ignoring all the damage the Titan's lasers were inflicting on it.

"Amalthus!" Mikhail declared. "Time to end this!"

The Marsanes grabbed the Indoline Titan by the neck and slammed into the World Tree's trunk. The Tornan warship then prepared to punch the Titan.

"Fool!" Amalthus exclaimed. "Who do you take me for?!"

The Indoline Titan began charging a laser blast in its mouth. Realizing the end was near, Mikhail recalled when he first met Jin and Lora.

**Flashback- 500 years ago, Torna**

Mikhail was just a child, standing alone in the burned down ruins of his village. Suddenly Jin and a woman with long brown hair, which was tied back in a ponytail, approached him.

"What happened?" Lora asked the boy. "Are you alone?"

Mikhail was too shocked to answer.

"Looks like he was the only survivor," Jin said as he examined the ruined village. "These burn patterns… they don't look like Malos's handiwork. It must have been humans. Looting and pillaging while the dimensions burn. Despicable."

Lora gave Mikhail a sympathetic look. "Hey, it's okay," she said soothingly. "Would you like to come with us?" The blonde-haired boy eyed Lora in confusion. "You don't have to worry, really. We're good people, I promise."

Jin then knelt in front of Mikhail. "Can you walk?" the Paragon of Torna asked, getting a slight nod from Mikhail. Jin then patted the boy's head before standing up. "That's good. Can you tell us your name?"

"M-Mikhail," the boy said slowly.

**Present Day**

"Thank you for everything, Jin," Mikhail said sincerely. "I'll tell Lora that you kept your promise. Goodbye."

The Marsanes then exploded, consuming the Indoline Titan with it. Frank's party, Akhos and Patroka, as well as the Alfheim Warriors were stunned from the sight.

Patroka found herself overcome with grief over the loss of her comrade. "Mikhail," she muttered in sorrow before following her "brother" into the World Tree.

The party watched as Indol's Titan sank into the Cloud Sea, as well as debris from the Marsanes.

"Mikhail," Jin said in sorrow. "He's gone."

Frank eyed the Paragon of Torna in concern. "Are you gonna be okay, Jin?"

The Ice Blade slowly nodded. "I will be, in time. Let's make sure that Mikhail's sacrifice isn't in vain."

The Master Driver nodded in agreement. They all then prepared to enter the World Tree when suddenly their paths were blocked by two Gargoyles.

"Not this again!" Nia shouted in protest.

Suddenly Marth landed in front of the group and faced the Artifices. He then had his Siren fire two particle beams on the Gargoyles, destroying them with one blow.

"Thanks," Mythra said to her fellow Aegis.

"You're welcome," Marth said as he turned to face them. "Now then, I believe I owe you guys an explanation about me being an Aegis."

"You think?" Mythra asked sarcastically. "How are you even here?"

"You've got Klaus to thank for that," the Dark Swordsman explained. "He somehow managed to come to my world and told me and the others that you guys needed help. Long story short, I was the third Aegis that Amalthus took from Elysium, but I didn't have my full core. And in order for me to regain my core so I could come help you guys, I had to give up my Dragon Soul."

"What?" Frank said in confusion. "You gave up your dragon form! But that was your greatest power."

"Sometimes you have to make hard sacrifices for the greater good," Marth continued. "Anyway, the process was very painful, but it was a success. I can use my powers IRL in my world along with the ability to control Artifices. I've even got my own Siren, but you probably knew that already."

"I see. You need to be careful, Marth," Mythra warned. "You've been given a great and terrible power. If you use your Aegis powers recklessly, you could destroy entire worlds."

"I know. You don't have to tell me twice about it."

Suddenly Yuuki flew over and landed next to her boyfriend. "Marth. The Blade Bots are out of control! They're attacking the other Titans!"

"It must be because Zeke's ship was destroyed," Jason guessed. "Without anything to give them commands, those artificial Blades will attack anything in sight."

"We've got to do something!" Kasandra exclaimed.

"No," Marth said with authority. "We'll take care of the Blade Bots and Gargoyles. You guys need to go after Zeke and Malos."

"Marth's right," Frank said. "If we don't stop Zeke and Malos, all of Alrest will be in danger. Will you guys be able to catch up with us afterward?"

The Dark Swordsman sadly shook his head. "Even if we manage to defeat all the Blade Bots and Gargoyles, we might not be able to join you for the final battle. Someone has to make sure there's still a world for you all to come back to once it's all over."

Frank nodded reluctantly. "I… understand. Good luck, Marth."

"And you." Marth summoned his wings and prepared to take off. "Now then, I believe we have a world to protect. Yuuki."

The Imp's wings appeared on her back as she smirked confidently. "I'm with you, Marth. Let's go!"

The fairies then took off to rejoin their friends. The party, on the other hand, entered the World Tree to pursue Zeke and Malos. They went through a long hallway before arriving in a large corridor. At the end of the room was an elevator that was guarded by two Sovereigns.

"This'll be easy," Mika said confidently. "Those robots are no match for us!"

The party made their way to the center of the room, which suddenly opened up and revealed a much larger Sovereign.

"You were saying, idiot?!" Pandoria scolded.

"How was I supposed to know something would actually come?!"

The Drivers, as well as Jin and Nia, quickly drew their weapons and began fighting the Sovereign. While the robot was stronger than the other ones they had fought previously, the party was able to kill it with ease. They then took care of the other two Sovereigns before entering the elevator and proceeding to the next floor, which was just a long hallway leading somewhere. As they advanced, Jason recalled a conversation he had with Amalthus.

**Flashback- Indol, 2 months before Frank left Fonsett**

Jason and Amalthus were overlooking the refugee camp from a terrace above it. Pandoria, Mika, and Kasandra were busy preparing for their journey to find the Driver of the Aegis.

"What do you see?" the Praetor questioned.

The Tantalese prince paused before answering, "I see a bunch of people struggling to stay alive. The same could be said for everyone in Alrest right now."

"Jason. Have you ever taken a person's life?"

Jason shook his head. "No. I never saw the need for it. Why would anyone kill others? Sure, its understandable if its in self-defense or to protect someone you care about. But if you do it because they're in your way, or you can't stand the sight of them, then it's a problem. Killing for those reasons only makes you weak." The Thunderbolt looked Amalthus in the eye. "But I'm not weak. So, I don't need to kill anyone for those reasons. And I don't mean physically," Jason pointed at his heart, "I mean in here."

Amalthus simply looked up at the sky. "I suppose that makes me weak, then," he said. "But that weakness is why I'm standing here today."

"So you hate them? Humans, I mean."

"No," Amalthus confessed. "I hate this world."

**Present Day**

Jason snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Hey Frank. Do you like this world?"

The Master Driver turned and eyed the Thunderbolt in confusion. "Huh? What brought this up?"

"Just give me a straight answer."

Frank was silent for a moment. "Yeah," he admitted. "Even though I grew up on Earth, I find myself becoming more attached to Alrest every day. If I hadn't come here, I might not have met, Jin, Nia, or Marth. Sure, this world is flawed, but that doesn't mean we need to destroy it. It just needs some improvement."

"What about _us_?" Jason pressed, confusing everyone else.

"Did Sparky just propose to Frank?" Nia teased.

"What?!" Mythra exclaimed in shock.

The Thunderbolt glared daggers at the Flesh Eater. "Don't be ridiculous," Jason scolded. "I already have a girlfriend!" He then returned his gaze to Frank. "I meant how do you feel about _us_ as a people."

"Oh, that," Frank said while Mythra calmed down. "To be honest, that's a tough question. People are fun to be around, but sometimes they're hard to deal with. Then there are people like Bana. But you can't have the good _without_ the bad."

Jason chuckled in amusement. "I see. That sounds like you, all right. I'm relieved."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Well… suppose a person hated people and had the same powers that you do. If someone like that were to meet the Architect… I wouldn't be surprised if they wished for the whole world to disappear."

"Are you talking about Amalthus?" Meg questioned.

Jason nodded. "I don't know what happened to make him hate this world so much but imagine what he could do if he had Frank's powers. Nothing good, to say the least."

"Yeah," Ethan agreed. "No doubt about it."

**Meanwhile**

Zeke and Malos had reached the lift that would take them to Elysium. The male Aegis noticed the Blade Eater stop.

"Something wrong, Zeke?" Malos asked.

Zeke turned around and stared at the door. "So this is where it ends," he muttered.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"No," Zeke said before facing his partner. "I'll stay here. You go fulfill our goal."

Malos was surprised at what he heard. "What are you saying? We promised that we would go together, didn't we?"

"We did once…" Zeke remembered when Malos found him alone in an alley.

"You okay?" Malos asked.

"I'm just waiting," Zeke answered.

"For your son?" the Onyx Aegis guessed.

"I was told to wait." The Blade Eater then noticed an effigy of Selena by the door with a tearful look on her face, silently pleading him to stop. Zeke turned to face Malos. "I'll be watching… all of you."

"Are you sure?"

"I am," Zeke said with a nod.

Malos sighed in defeat before pulling Zeke into a hug. "Don't worry," Malos whispered in his ear. "I'll get the answers you're looking for. Goodbye… my friend."

The Onyx Aegis then pulled away before entering the elevator and headed for Elysium. Zeke, on the other hand, turned towards the door and waited. After a while, Frank and the others entered the room.

"Father," Frank said in disbelief.

"You're here," Zeke said solemnly. "Good. It's time to end this."

**To be continued**


	43. Chapter 43: Zeke's Last Stand

**Chapter 43- Zeke's Last Stand**

"Father," Frank said slowly.

"Are you alone?" Mythra questioned. "Where's Malos?"

"He went ahead," Zeke answered.

"Then what are you doing here?" Jin asked.

"I was waiting for you."

"For us?" Frank said in confusion. "Are you trying to stop us from going after Malos?"

Zeke briefly closed his eyes. "Perhaps… I want to see for myself. If this world has any will of its own… which one would it choose, you or Malos?"

"Then you should let us pass," Mythra argued.

"That, I cannot do," Zeke replied.

"But why?" Mythra pressed further. "In your state, you should barely be able to stand! You know if we fight, you'll…!"

"You see right through me, Mythra. But I made a promise. I'll do whatever it takes to fulfill his desire."

"Even if it means your own death?"

"Gladly." Zeke then switched to his armored form and drew his sword as a dark aura enveloped him.

"It looks like we'll have to fight him to reach Elysium," Jason mused.

"Yeah," Frank agreed. "Let's give it everything we've got!" The party readied to engage the Torna leader.

"As it should be," Zeke declared. "Come at me, _son_!"

Frank and Zeke charged at each other and clashed swords. Meg and Jason worked in sync as they fired fire and lightning at the Blade Eater, but Zeke used his speed to dodge. Zeke then found himself clashing against Jin. The Paragon of Torna was able to land a few slashes on the Blade Eater before Zeke injured him with black icicles. Fortunately, Nia was beside the Ice Blade and quickly healed him with her powers.

The party was able to surround Zeke, but they were quickly knocked back by his Empty Moment. Frank was the first to recover and used Double Spinning Edge, which struck Zeke's side. The Master Driver then tossed his sword to Mythra, who subsequently unleashed Lightning Buster, injuring Zeke even further, before returning the Aegis Sword to her Driver.

"Soulfire!" Meg and Brighid shouted in sync as they used their Blade Special to send a wave of blue flames at the Tornan Blade Eater. Zeke was able to dodge in time, but then had to dodge Dark Maelstrom from Sonum and Dromarch, as well as Mika and Kasandra's Melancholic Break.

Black mist seemed to spread across the room as Zeke slowly approached Frank.

"He's still got it," Frank commented. "But so do we!"

Mythra then switched to her ascended form, with the third Aegis Sword appearing in Frank's hands. Zeke launched a barrage of black ice projectiles, but Frank easily destroyed them with his sword as he charged at his father.

"The power to manifest what you imagine," Zeke said in awe. "Truly awesome. That power comes from the Architect. Why do you wield it for mortals' sake?"

The Blade Eater and Master Driver clashed their swords multiple times, neither of them giving an inch.

"To get to Elysium!" Frank answered while parrying blows.

"And then what?" Zeke pressed as they fought. "Open it up to humans? Share it out between them?"

Frank then forced his father back. "Obviously! That's part of why I've come all this way after all."

"And then what?" Zeke repeated. "Can't you see where that leads?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The humans of this world will make Elysium into another Morytha," Zeke explained. "They're a flawed race that will destroy everything they touch. Jin himself said that humans were responsible for Torna's destruction five hundred years ago."

"I won't let that happen!" Frank declared as he charged at his father once more. They then clashed a few more times.

"And after you die? What then? Who will stop the inevitable?!"

A gold aura appeared around Frank and Mythra. "Isn't that the reason why Blades exist?!" the Master Driver argued, confusing Zeke. "When I'm not around to stand by everyone in that effort, then someone else will!" Frank then knocked Zeke's sword out of his hands, much to the latter's shock.

"When a person dies, they're gone for good," Frank continued as he held the Aegis Sword towards his father. "But their thoughts and memories will always be passed on to someone else. It's the same for Blades. Their past selves get passed down to someone else to become their new selves. Isn't that how this world has always lived? Humans and Blades aren't different at all!"

Zeke then found himself remembering his memories of his life before the war, when he was with his family.

"Blades become Titans when their time is up," Frank said. "And those Titans give birth to many new Blades. All of this while forming this world we're in. It's incredible. It's enough to make me envious."

"Envious… of Blades?" Zeke asked slowly.

"So I'd like to ask the Architect… about Mythra, Pyra, Jin, all Blades. Why did he create all these incredible people?" Frank paused. "Actually, I think I know the answer. But I'd still like to check with the man himself."

"To check your answer? You… believe you know why Blades exist?" Suddenly Zeke found himself overwhelmed by pain and fell to his knees. His aura also got weaker.

"Zeke!" Akhos shouted in concern as he and Patroka made their entrance. They hurried to their downed leader, weapons in hand.

Patroka used her naginata to force Frank away from Zeke and got between them while Akhos knelt beside the downed Blade Eater. "I won't let you kill Zeke," Patroka declared.

"Stand down, Patroka," Zeke said with difficulty.

"But…"

"It's over for us now. There is nothing more."

"Zeke," Patroka said slowly before lowering her naginata. "You, Nia… can you use your power on Zeke?"

Nia nodded as she hurried over to Zeke. "Yeah sure, but it will only be a temporary measure."

"Don't expect any thanks." Patroka then turned towards Akhos. "We'll go back first and prep Zeke for treatment. Akhos! Make yourself useful."

"Yeah, yeah," Akhos said as he helped Zeke up. "I've got him."

Patroka hurried to one of the exits when suddenly a blue tentacle shot out of the floor and impaled her in the chest. Once the tentacle removed itself from her, the Flesh Eater fell limply to the ground.

"Patroka!" Akhos cried out in worry.

"What the?" Frank said in confusion.

Suddenly more tentacles appeared as Amalthus revealed himself through a hole in the floor. However, the Praetor's appearance had drastically changed. He was much larger than before and wore a strange white armor with blue orbs. The blue tenacles from before were attached to his back.

"You will climb no further," Amalthus declared.

"What?!" Mika exclaimed. "Why is Amalthus here?! And… why does he look like that?"

Amalthus then grabbed Patroka's body, causing the blue orbs on his right arm to glow as he absorbed her core, though her body remained. Everyone was horrified at the sight.

"If the Architect did send Blades down to this world, it was for my sake," Amalthus said arrogantly. "To find and raise cores containing more powerful, wondrous, unparalled data. That is why I created the cleansing procedure. It also allowed me to prevent Blades from becoming Titans. Behold the culmination of my work!"

The Paragon of Torna glared bitterly at the mad Praetor. "You lunatic!" Jin shouted in rage. "You took the cores of all those Blades! You stole their very beings with your 'cleansing'!"

"I am an agent of the Architect's will!" Amalthus defended.

"What is he saying?" Sonum questioned.

"Delusions of grandeur," Dromarch replied.

"You can't just decide stuff like that, dude!" Pandoria objected. "You're out of your damned mind!"

Amalthus chuckled to himself. "It is no delusion!" He lowered his gaze towards Frank and Mythra. "Have you forgotten the Aegis's power? That power… Is it not the Aegis's power to erase worthless things from existence?! Is that not the Architect's very will?!"

"Mythra and Pyra aren't like that!" Frank rejected. "And neither is Marth!"

Amalthus looked confused. "What does the Dark Swordsman have anything to do with the Aegis's power?"

"I just realized something," Mythra spoke up. "I know why Malos is so intent on scouring the world. It's you, Amalthus. Malos has been tainted by your influence."

"So what if he has?" Amalthis questioned. "What's the problem? You've traveled around Alrest. You've been to the Umbral City. You've even witnessed the state of Morytha! Mankind will never change, no matter how many millenia pass!"

Frank tightened his grip on the Aegis Sword. "You're the one who won't change," the Master Driver said as he glared daggers at the Praetor. "That's exactly why you hate those who try to!"

"And why should I have to change? If I change, I lose everything. I lose my very self! Who in their right mind would accept such a fate?! That's why…"

"You're weak, Amalthus," Jason interrupted, his eyes filled with disdain. "The weakest of us all…"

Akhos was overcome with grief as he slowly approached Patroka's body. Once he was in front of her, he fell to his knees.

"Patroka," the Flesh Eater said in sorrow.

**Flashback- 5 years ago**

Akhos and Patroka had been captured by Indol and were on a transport ship. Luckily for them, Zeke, who had his mask on, was onboard to retrieve the Core Crystals on board. He had killed all the humans on the vessel and entered the Flesh Eaters' cell.

"You're going to kill us, huh?" Akhos asked as he and Patroka were sitting by the wall farthest from the Blade Eater.

"You're not human," Zeke deduced. "You're Flesh Eaters, aren't you?"

Akhos nodded as he stood up. "We were on our way to be transported to Indol," he explained. "My sister and I, from Tantal."

Zeke looked confused. He knew it was impossible for Blades to have siblings. "Sister?"

Akhos then showed the Blade Eater a pendant with a picture in it. There were two people in it, a boy and a girl.

"The boy on the left was my Driver," Akhos said. "The girl was Patroka's."

"Patroka? Is that her name?"

Akhos nodded. "Yes. I'm Akhos. Our Drivers were brother and sister. That's why…"

"…we're siblings too, you're saying?" Patroka spoke up finally. "What a dumb notion. They're them, and we're us. No relation whatsoever."

The male Flesh Eater turned towards his "sister" and said, "Even so! These bodies contain the lives of two humans. We are… connected."

Patroka scoffed. "I don't get why you bother…"

"Are you happy?" Zeke asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Akhos faced the Blade Eater in confusion.

"Does it make you happy, clinging to things like that?" the Blade Eater rephrased.

Akhos lowered his head. "That I don't know. But… it's better than having nothing." He looked down at Patroka. "It's important to me, and it gives me a reason to go on. To live for her."

Patroka was silent as she rose to her feet.

**Present Day**

Akhos stood up and glared at Amalthus in anger. He then prepared to fire a lightning arrow at the Praetor.

"Akhos, stop!" Zeke shouted in protest. "He's…"

The Flesh Eater didn't listen and released his arrow. The arrow struck Amalthus in his right shoulderpad but had little effect. Amalthus then wrapped one of his tentacles around Akhos and lifted him up in the air.

"Akhos!"

"L-let me go, you monster," Akhos struggled to say.

Amalthus simply looked at the Flesh Eater and said, "How dare you…? How dare you look down on me? You, a mere Blade whose very existence depends on ours!"

"Frank!" Jin exclaimed as he tossed his nodachi to his Driver. "We have to stop him!"

The Master Driver caught the Ice Nodachi in his left hand, with the Aegis Sword in the other. A gold aura radiated out of Frank, Mythra, and Jin. "I'm on it!" Frank exclaimed. "Not on my watch!"

Frank swung his swords in an x-formation, sending a blast of ice and light at the Praetor, striking him in the chest. Amalthus simply shrugged off the attack and began approaching the Master Driver, still having Akhos in his clutches.

"Let him go, you monster!" Nia shouted as she charged at Amalthus, but she was stopped by one of his tentacles.

Meg then gave Brighid one of her whipswords and summoned Aegaeon before launching a wave of blue flames at the Praetor.

"Forgive me for asking, Lady Meg," Aegaeon said as he fought off a tentacle with his chrome katana. "But why are we fighting to save a member of Torna?"

Brighid then parried another tentacle with her whipsword. "Because it is the right thing to do. Right, Lady Meg?"

The Special Inquisitor nodded in confirmation. "Of course. His aim is clear and so is ours!" The trio then began battling more tentacles while rolling to evade.

One tentacle tried to slam down on the Flamebringer, but Poppi deflected it with her saber.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Poppi replied before returning to her Driver, who was wielding his Mech Arms.

Another tentacle tried to latch onto the artificial Blade, but it was destroyed by blue lightning.

"I believe in returning favors," Pandoria said as lightning sparked off her. "You owe me one!"

"Not now, Pandy!" Jason exclaimed as he, Sonum, and Mika parried more tentacles away.

Amalthus groaned in frustration. "Urghh… How?! Who do you people think you are?!" He then encased himself in a red aura, releasing a powerful shockwave that blew everyone off their feet.

"Incorrigible whelps," Amalthus continued. "Why would humans side with Blades?!"

"Is he slow?" Jason questioned as he and his friends stood back up. "He thinks it's a side to pick? We share a bond, you numbskull! We're all friends here! We're in this thing together!"

"Bonds… of friendship?" Amalthus said mockingly. "With these trinkets?!" He then ripped out Akhos's core with his hand before tossing the Flesh Eater towards the group.

"Akhos!" Zeke shouted in worry.

Akhos coughed weakly. "That was… surprisingly painful." He stretched his arm towards his leader, who was struggling to get up. "If I was… still a Blade… this… wouldn't…"

**Flashback- 5 years ago**

"Join me," Zeke offered, confusing both Flesh Eaters. "My name is Zeke. We are very alike. You can trust me." The Blade Eater extended his hand towards Akhos, who slowly reached for it.

**Present Day**

Akhos's hand fell limply to the ground as his life force faded.

"Akhos!" Zeke shouted in anguish. He then glared at mad praetor. "Amalthus!"

Frank then got in front of his father. "You stay right there!" the Master Driver said with authority. "You're too weak to fight. We'll kick his ass for everything he's done."

"This is my fight as well!" Zeke argued. "He…"

"I know!" Frank interrupted. "It's high time Amalthus answered for what he's done! Who better to do it than the Master Driver?"

"Frank," Zeke muttered.

"We'll break the five hundred year-long curse, right here, right now!"

"Yeah!" Mythra agreed as she stood by her Driver.

"Absolutely!" Jin added as he got on Frank's left side, wielding his sword.

The other Drivers and Blades got ready for a fight as well. Suddenly a feral howl could be heard.

"Mind if we join in?!" said a new voice.

Suddenly Kirito appeared while riding on a black and white wolf that had a silver Aegis core on its chest, who tackled Amalthus into a wall.

"Kirito!" Frank exclaimed. "What are you doing here? And is that who I think it is?"

The Black Swordsman nodded as he slid off the wolf's back. "Yep. Marth's wolf form got an upgrade when his core was restored to him. Wanna show them, partner?"

"With pleasure," Marth said with a snarl, still in his wolf form. He charged at Amalthus, who had recovered, and jumped high in the air.

"Howling Thunder!" the Silver Aegis shouted before firing a blast of purple lightning from his mouth. The Praetor raised his right arm to block but grunted in pain as he was pushed back slightly from the blast before deflecting it with difficulty.

"Insolent furball!" Amalthus exclaimed, his arm somewhat smoking from the attack. "You'll pay dearly for that! Who are you anyway?!"

Marth chuckled in amusement as he landed by Kirito. "Weren't you paying attention?" Marth said before switching to his Spriggan form, though it had normal ears rather than pointed ones.

Amalthus gasped in shock. "You! So you're Marth." He then noticed the Dark Swordsman's Core Crystal. "That core! That Aegis core was stolen from me five hundred years ago! Are you the Blade that was inside it? If so, then who's your Driver?!"

Marth simply smirked. "My partner right beside me. By the way, one of the benefits of being a Blade is that I can do stuff like this!" Marth drew his swords and tossed them over to Kirito, who caught them effortlessly.

"Since we're in Alrest," Kirito added as Lunara and Solaris radiated shadows and light respectively. "It's only fitting that we fight in the same style as our friends. You're facing the new and improved Darkness Duo now, Amalthus!"

Amalthus didn't get a chance to reply as Frank fired a blast of light at him, striking the Mad Praetor in the chest.

"I think that's enough talking," Frank said. "Let's finish this!"

The party, as well as Kirito and Marth, charged at the Praetor. Sonum had Dromarch unleash Wild Roar, somewhat injuring him before Ethan and Poppi followed it up with Quantum Judgement. Kirito then used Vorpal Strike, inflicting Amalthus with a breaking sensation. Frank quickly used his grapple to topple the Praetor to the ground before Jason launched him into the air with Stratespheric Thunder. Meg then switched her whipswords for Aegaeon's chrome katana and smashed Amalthus to the ground with Aerial Slash.

"Cool," Marth commented before using his defense barrier to protect himself and Kirito from Amalthus's tentacles. Marth then raised his right hand up as electricity built up around him, before swinging it down, causing a massive purple lightning bolt to strike Amalthus from above.

"Cool," Frank said in awe.

The Special Inquisitor returned to using her whipswords and managed to create a red elemental orb with Brighid's Mega Explosion. Sonum, Nia, and Dromarch worked together and made a blue elemental orb with Splash Hazard. Poppi and Jin unleashed their Ice Specials to allow Kasandra to create a purple elemental orb with Gravity Blizzard. Frank and Mythra then made an orange elemental orb with Supernova.

"Time for a _Full Burst_!" Frank ordered. He handed the Aegis Sword to Mythra, who promptly used Starburst, which not only injured Amalthus, but chipped all the elemental orbs orbiting him.

Dromarch then unleashed Aqua Wave, which was a wave of blue ether energy, which struck Amalthus and shattered the red orb. Kasandra used Secret Desire to shatter the orange orb while Brighid used Swirling Dragon to destroy the blue orb. Poppi, who changed her element to light, then destroyed the purple elemental orb with Poppi Ignition, which was similar to Quantum Judgement, only without Ethan.

With the destruction of all the orbs, the group felt an enormous power boost, prompting them all to use their level four Specials. Frank and Jin unleashed Midnight Sun, Jason and Pandoria used Sonic Thunderslash, Meg and Brighid used Soulfire, Sonum and Dromarch unleashed Dark Maelstrom, while Ethan and Poppi used Quantum Judgement, and Mika and Kasandra used Melancholic Break. Kirito, on the other hand, returned Marth's swords to him before drawing his own. They then unleashed the devastating 27-hit «Dual-Wielding» Sword Skill, «Eclipse», which greatly injured the Praetor as the other attacks made contact.

"I cannot end like this!" Amalthus declared as he prepared to retaliate. "Not until I've met the Architect! Not until I've erased everything with my own hands!"

"Seriously?!" Marth shouted in outrage. "How is he still standing after all that?!"

Amalthus then began merging with the World Tree, causing the whole structure to shake.

"This is bad!" Dromarch exclaimed. "The World Tree cannot take it!"

Jason gritted his teeth in frustration. "We unleashed our strongest attacks on him and that still wasn't enough!"

"We must stop him!" Meg shouted.

The group charged at Amalthus when suddenly one of his tentacles went straight for Zeke, who was barely able to stand.

"Father!" Frank cried out before he and Mythra intercepted the tentacle. They were both injured, with Frank knocked to the ground while Zeke caught Mythra before kneeling down. Mythra also reverted to her normal form.

"Frank! Mythra!" Nia exclaimed in concern.

Zeke stared at the Emerald Aegis in awe. "Mythra," he said. "You…"

"D-don't get me wrong, okay?" Mythra passed off, though her face betrayed her with a light smile. "I couldn't let him get your core too. Who knows how much power he'll gain if he got it."

Memories of Selena rushed through the Blade Eater's mind, purging Zeta's darkness that was in his heart. "Thank you," Zeke said quietly as his dark aura faded completely.

Meanwhile, Jin and the others were trying desperately to fend off Amalthus's tentacles, which blocked their advance.

"All the cores, all the Architect's words… belong to me!" Amalthus declared.

More tentacles rushed over to Frank, Mythra, and Zeke when suddenly the Torna leader froze them in black ice, stopping them in their tracks.

"No way," Sonum said in disbelief. Even Amalthus was shocked by his actions.

Zeke then faced Nia and said, "Nia. Take care of them both."

The Flesh Eater, although confused, obeyed and hurried to her downed comrades to heal them. Zeke, on the other hand, set Mythra down gently and rose to his feet.

"Father," Frank said slowly.

Zeke gave his son a regretful look. "I'm sorry for everything I've done to you, Frank. Your mother would be so disappointed in me if she saw me now," he said. "I'm proud of the hero you've become, just like I was long ago. Frank… you have to stop Malos. He's still searching for his own identity. Tell him the answer you found." And with that, Zeke turned his focus on Amalthus, black mist surrounding him.

"You should've died with the rest of the Allied Force," Amalthus said.

The former hero of the Allied Force simply looked up at the Mad Praetor. "We are both to blame for the tragedies on Alrest, Amalthus," Zeke declared. "Our duty has been handed down. You hurt my family and their friends, used them for your own gain. I will make you pay for that right now!"

Amalthus laughed cynically. "That's rich coming from you! Have you forgotten that you fought your own son and daughter? Regardless… Your duty is as dust in the wind compared to my destiny!"

The Praetor fired a purple energy beam at the Torna leader, who blocked it with a wall of black ice. Zeke then created multiple large black icicles around him using the last of his power, and with a shout, launched them at Amalthus. As the icicles pierced through Amalthus's armor, Zeke's Core Crystal finally cracked. Everyone simply watched in awe as Zeke kept attacking the Praetor with his ice powers.

Amalthus howled in pain and felt his end drawing near. "O Architect!" he shouted. "I should have been your chosen one. I lived as you wanted me to! I did-! I always…!" Amalthus began to freeze as black ice encased him.

Jason's eyes filled with pity but said nothing. Instead, he thought about the conversation he had with Amalthus before he and Mika left to find Frank and Mythra.

**Flashback- Indol, 2 months before Frank left Fonsett**

Jason told the Praetor that he thought that he and his monks were bandits when they first met.

"Bandits?" Amalthus said in confusion. "Why would you ever think that?"

"I wasn't exactly in my right mind at the time," Jason explained. "Besides, Pandoria and Kasandra look very human for Blades. They'd be worth a lot to some people. They sell them. Line up the cores with pretty pictures of the Blade inside."

"It's the same as it ever was," Amalthus replied solemnly.

"What?" Jason said in confusion.

"As soon as people are denied something they desire, they try to take it by force," Amalthus continued.

"Not everyone is like that."

Amalthus shook his head. "Oh, some give up prematurely, but the feeling is still there, I assure you."

Jason put his right hand on his waist. "In that case, why do you bother with protecting them?" he asked, gesturing to the refugees. "Why not let people do whatever they please?"

"To remind myself," Amalthus answered. "I must never forget what kind of beings humans are."

"Is that why you helped us?"

Amalthus simply looked up at the sky. "A long time ago, I seemed to recall seeing a very similar scene." Jason noticed the sorrow on the Praetor's face. "Perhaps that too was one face of humanity…"

**Present**

"Why did you look so sad back then?" Jason asked sincerely. "That was you too, wasn't it?"

Amalthus's body began to dissolve in white light. Using the last of his strength, he raised his right hand up, as if trying to grab something. "Father," he said in remorse. "Why do you not answer when I call?" Suddenly he saw a golden figure appear to him, one who looked very familiar to him. "Mother," he said in disbelief. "I've… missed you…" The Praetor then disappeared in white light, leaving no trace of him behind.

Frank and the others then noticed Zeke's body beginning to dissolve in white light as well.

"Father!" Meg shouted in worry.

"No!" Frank yelled.

Zeke simply turned to his children and smiled. "I'll say hi to your mother for you both. Look out for each other and save this world. Goodbye." Zeke then closed his eyes and fell to his knees as his body faded away. His sword also vanished.

"What a splendid soul you were, Zeke," Azurda mused.

"Father," Frank and Meg said quietly.

**Flashback- 6 years ago**

Zeke was in an alley in Mor Ardain, sitting by two crates. Selena's death was a few weeks ago. It was a stormy night. He was wearing a cloak, partially to shield himself from the rain and to hide his identity.

"Urghh… What a stench! They let beggars roam free in this town?" Malos complained as he entered the alley. He quickly noticed Zeke. "You… you're from the Allied Force, aren't you? What the hell are you doing in a place like this? Are you a deserter…? No, I don't think that's it…"

Zeke didn't reply, but he did look up at the Onyx Aegis. Malos recognized the lost look in his eyes.

The Blade formed a light smile. "The name's Malos. I'm the same as you." He extended his hand to Zeke, who slowly reached up and took it.

**To be continued**


	44. Chapter 44: Elysium

**Chapter 44- Elysium**

**Earth- Year 2500**

The First Orbit Station, which was a base on a metallic ring that orbited the planet, was under attack by rebels. The Siren Artifices were struggling to repel the aggressors but were slowly being overwhelmed.

"Heat-seeking warhead!" One person said. "We've been hit!"

"Sensing Coriolis deviation across orbital ring," another crew member said. "Reading shift to west-by-northwest, magnitude comma two."

The crew in the command center of the station were all in a panic as their defenses were being overwhelmed.

"Correcting tower balance," a female member said. "Releasing anchor bolt 127 through 214."

In one of the station's labs was a large golden crystal that looked strikingly similar to an Aegis core. It seemed to be powering the entire base and its defenses. It was called the Conduit.

"Echelon Siren losses now exceed 60%," she continued as some of the Sirens were destroyed by the rebel forces.

"Director, the Beanstalk cannot hold!" one crew member exclaimed. "The Saviorite rebels are very close to capturing it!"

The director let out a heavy sigh and stood from his chair. "We have no choice. Initialize Aion and Critias. Prepare the Conduit."

The team attempted to fulfill their orders but found themselves blocked by the system. "Director, the Conduit's authorization has failed!" one person exclaimed.

"How come?"

"We've been locked out by Professor Klaus. We can't secure access from our side!"

"What did you say?!"

Meanwhile Klaus, the same Klaus that has helped Frank and his friends, was in his lab with the Conduit, typing on his screen. He wore a white lab coat and brown trousers, along with black shoes. There was a woman behind him. She had long blonde hair and wore a lab coat as well. She was person whose picture was on the ID badge Frank found in Morytha. Her name was Galea.

"Quaternary Processor synch rate at 96%," Klaus said. "That should be good enough. Let's begin the experiment!"

"Klaus, no!" Galea protested. "The results haven't been confirmed! It's too dangerous!"

Klaus simply turned towards his partner and arrogantly said, "Ridiculous. It's perfectly safe. We are about to bear witness to the birth of a universe. Once, only a god could perform such a miracle. But today, mankind moves one step closer to the divine!"

"Are you serious?" Galea questioned. "Do you even fully understand that thing?"

"What's the alternative?" Klaus argued. "Do you want to just surrender this place to them? The Conduit is a gift from some divine entity. It is a gateway… a gateway that will take us to an entirely new world." He turned towards the Conduit to begin.

"You're delusional," Galea said as she approached her partner in an attempt to stop him. "'Divine entity'. The Conduit is nothing more than a meta-universe manifold!"

"Galea… We humans are fools. We've ravaged the planet. We are on the verge of burning even the skies above. But the Conduit could transform us into something so much more!" Klaus then pushed Galea to the ground.

"Galea, this is the birth of a brand-new universe," Klaus continued as he began typing away to begin the experiment.

"Stop! Klaus!" Galea begged desperately.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as Klaus initiated the process, causing an orb of white light to travel across the orbital ring, leaving a trail of light behind. The Earth was then consumed by white light before it spread across the entire universe.

**Present Day- Alrest**

A very ancient looking Klaus floated in a dark room in the Orbital Station. "Fools indeed," he said, his voice echoing.

A spirit that resembled him, only much younger, then appeared beside him.

"So, you finally decided to return after five hundred years," Klaus said, not bothering to look at him. "Tell me… has things gone the way you intended?"

The spirit folded his arms. "Not everything. Marth's first appearance in Alrest was definitely unplanned for, but it did allow me to restore Fenrir."

"You do realize that your interference has caused the Dark Swordsman's future to change from its original course? There is no way to undo it."

"I do. Have you made your decision yet?"

"No… I will make it once I speak with Frank and see how mankind has changed over the millenia."

The echo nodded in acklowledgement. "Understood." He then merged with Klaus, leaving him alone.

"The time has come," Klaus said.

**The World Tree**

Mythra noticed that Frank was awfully quiet. "Are you okay?" the Emerald Aegis asked in concern. Meg had also dismissed Aegaeon.

The Master Driver slowly nodded. "Yeah. I just can't believe he's gone. Zeke may have been our enemy, but he was still my father. He died a hero's death."

"Frank," Mythra muttered.

Not a single tear leaked from his eyes. "I can mourn for him later. We need to catch up to Malos." Frank then turned to Marth and Kirito. "Thanks for the help. You really handled how Drivers and Blades fight despite the short amount of time."

"Well Marth and I were partners before he reawakened as an Aegis, so that helped," Kirito passed off. "Anyway, we saw Amalthus enter the World Tree, so we decided to pursue him while the others dealt with the Blade Bots and Gargoyles."

"Speaking of which," Ethan said. "How's the situation outside?"

"Most of the Blade Bots have been destroyed," Marth explained. "The Gargoyles, on the other hand, seem to be preparing for an assault on the Titans. We're taking them down as quickly as we can, but there's a lot of them, and I fear that more will be on the way."

"All right," Frank said. "We'll continue as planned. You and Kirito will go help your teammates while we'll go after Malos."

"Understood," the Dark Swordsman said before morphing into his wolf form. "Ready, partner?"

Kirito smirked in excitement. "You bet!" The Black Swordsman climbed onto Marth's back before the wolf hurried out of the room, towards their comrades.

The party, on the other hand, went into the elevator to head for Elysium. After a long elevator ride, they found themselves in the First Orbital Station. Below them was Alrest, which was covered by the Cloud Sea.

"Wow!" Sonum said in awe. "So, this is what Alrest looks like from space."

Jin, however, looked towards the stars. "The stars seem close enough to touch them," the Paragon of Torna said. "It's incredible."

Everyone then noticed that Mika was staying as far away from the window as possible.

"Relax Mika," Kasandra said with her signature smile. "You're not gonna break the glass."

"I'd rather not test my luck. Last I checked, humans can't survive in space!"

"I think it's safe to say we've reached the top of the World Tree," Nia said.

Suddenly the group heard a bell sound in the distance.

"That sound," Frank said. "I've heard it before. When I talked to Addam in that vision of Elysium. The real one must be close."

Mythra nodded in agreement. "Let's go."

"Hold on," Jason said. "I think we should take a quick break first. We've been through a lot to get to this point. We'd be wise not to push ourselves too much."

"Agreed," Poppi added. "Rest will improve our efficiency by 100%."

Frank scratched his head. "I guess a quick break wouldn't hurt."

The party then took a brief rest before beginning the search for Elysium.

**Meanwhile**

Malos had entered the room where Klaus was in.

"It's been a while, 'Father'," Malos said.

Klaus's eyes flashed with recognition. "Logos…"

"Is that my real name?" Malos asked as he approached the Architect. "What does it mean, 'Logos'?"

"It has no meaning," Klaus explained. "All it represents is the ego of those who named you."

"Hah… How many years has it been?"

"I forget. It has been far too long."

"You know why I'm here, don't you?" Malos questioned.

Klaus nodded. "I know it all. All that you experience is passed on to me here."

"Then let's get straight to the point." Malos fired a dark energy blast at Klaus, but it merely dissipated before reaching its target. "What?!"

"No need to rush, my child," Klaus said calmly. "I am fading… I'll be gone soon enough."

"Is that right? Then I'll take it all."

"Do as you wish," Klaus replied. "If you believe that is your role."

Malos scoffed. "Is that choice really 'mine'?" he asked. "Answer me! This is what I came to hear."

Klaus was silent for a moment before answering, "It is a choice you made together."

"Good answer. Thanks for creating me." Malos then turned and left the room.

Klaus could sense the arrival of the party. "Ah, and here comes the _other_ answer…"

**Back to the group**

Frank and the others found that some areas were sealed off, as if telling them not to go that way. They were led to a long hallway with a large door at the end. When they approached it, the door opened on its own. Bright artificial light shone down to greet them.

"It sure is bright," Nia commented.

"It's through here," Frank said with certainty. "No doubt about it."

They went through the door and found themselves in Elysium. However, instead of being a lush paradise, it was a wasteland. There was no greenery, water, and only the sound of bell. They were on a hill with a single dead tree, looking down towards a town, which was in ruins.

"What the?" Ethan said in shock.

"I didn't do anything!" Mika squeaked.

"I don't understand," Mythra said, her eyes filled with confusion. "I don't get it. This isn't how I remember…!"

"It looks like no one's lived here for a long time," Jin observed. "It seems that even Elysium isn't immune to the ravages of time."

"What a wretched sight," Azurda spoke up. "I have not seen anything like this in all my years on Alrest."

Frank gritted his teeth in frustration. "Damn it. I'm sorry, everyone. I got your hopes up that finding Elysium could save Alrest, but it looks like it was all for nothing."

"Don't blame yourself, Brother," Meg said as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "There's no way you could've known this would happen. Regardless though, this place is enormous. I wouldn't be surprised if you could fit everyone in Alrest in here."

"Yeah," Jason said. "Besides, that bell sound indicates that someone else is here. The only question is where's it coming from."

"Over there," Poppi said as she pointed towards a building in the distance. "My sensors indicate that the sound is originating from there."

"Then there's no point hanging around here."

"Yeah," Pandoria said in agreement. "Only one way to find out."

"Come on, Frank," Sonum added. "Let's go!"

The Master Driver slowly nodded before facing Mythra. "It might be just this part that's destroyed. There must be something over there."

The party then headed towards the town. It took them a few minutes to reach it

"This place looks like it was once a city, and quite an old one at that," Dromarch mused.

"It's actually a lot like Earth's architecture and Morytha's," Jason added. "That can't be a coincidence."

"It's very dusty here too," Nia said. "Maybe it's because it's so dry up here."

Frank then noticed a bicycle nearby. When he touched it, the bike instantly turned to dust.

"At least we know humans did live here once," Mythra said.

"Yeah," Frank replied slowly. "What could've happened here?"

They then continued to the building Poppi pointed out, which resembled a church. When they arrived at the church, the bells stopped ringing and church's doors opened.

"A signal we should enter, perhaps?" Azurda guessed.

"Possibly," Jin replied. "We should be on-guard, just in case."

The party then entered the church.

"Welcome home… my children," a voice said.

Mythra's eyes widened in realization. "Father?"

The other party members were shocked.

"What? Are you sure?" Kasandra asked the Aegis.

"The Architect is here?" Brighid said. "But where…?"

"I am always here," the Architect said. "Come to me…"

A passageway leading down opened up in front of the party. The party went down the staircase and found themselves inside a small corridor.

"This building's really holding up well inside," Sonum said.

"I was about to say the same thing," Nia added.

"The structural materials for it are a much higher quality than the ones used for the city outside," Ethan mused. "I'd even go so far to say that it's made from the same substance as the World Tree itself."

"Same as the World Tree, huh?" Frank muttered. Suddenly the Master Driver found that he was alone. Not even Jin or Mythra were with him. Azurda was not in Frank's hood as well.

"Guys!" Frank called out. "Where are you? This isn't funny! Mythra! Jin! Everyone!" He then hurried down the hallway. "Mythra!"

Suddenly Frank found himself in Gormott, just outside of Torigoth. Despite being confused, the Master Driver rolled out of the way as Ardainian soldiers walked passed him, unaware of his presence. Their equipment was much older, confusing him even more.

"What the?" Frank said. He then went to the gates of Torigoth and examined his surroundings. Suddenly Frank found Sonum, Dromarch, and Nia (in her human form) behind him, however, they were acting strange.

"Nia! Sonum! Dromarch!" Frank said in relief. "I'm so glad you're…"

"Why, Frank?" Sonum asked bitterly, confusing her fellow Driver. "You told us that Elysium was real."

"My lady and I traveled all this way at your behest," Dromarch added, bitterness also filled his tone. "Master Frank, did you intentionally deceive us?"

"I trusted you, Frank," Nia spoke up. "I came here because I trusted you!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Frank asked. "You've got it all wrong. I told you, I promised Mythra…"

"Mythra, Mythra, Mythra!" Nia interrupted in anger. "Is that it?! Is she the only person you actually care about?!"

Frank looked confused. "N-Nia, what's gotten into you? You're acting weird."

"We were willing to risk everything to help you," Dromarch said. "Yet all you do is disappoint us."

"You'll pay for this, Frank!" Sonum exclaimed as she and Nia drew their twin rings and got into fighting stances.

"Guys, wait!" Frank pleaded, but he was forced to draw the Aegis Sword, which surprisingly activated despite Mythra not being present, to parry Sonum's Jaguar Slash.

Despite being outnumbered, and without Mythra or Jin backing him up, Frank managed to defeat both Sonum and Nia with a few Arts.

"I-I'm sorry," Frank said as he sheathed his sword.

"Why, Frank?" Sonum demanded. "Why did you lie to us?!"

"How could you betray our trust?!" Dromarch added with a scorned tone.

"I-I…" Frank struggled to form a reply. Suddenly he found himself in an empty Alba Cavanich. "I don't understand," Frank said to himself. "Why would Nia, Sonum, and Dromarch…"

"You really are a fool," said a familiar voice.

Frank turned and saw Meg, Brighid, Ethan, and Poppi. However, they seemed as hostile as the others.

"Meg, what are you talking about?" Frank asked in confusion.

"You're so thoughtless," Meg accused. "Here you are, wasting time, while _our_ conutrymen are…"

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Brighid questioned fiercely.

"You just run ahead, without a thought for anyone else," Ethan spoke up. "And this is the result. I can't believe Poppi and I looked up to you."

"Yeah!" Poppi added. "Some hero you are!"

"I couldn't save anyone," Meg said. "If only we hadn't come here, I could've saved everyone… I could have saved Niall. If only it weren't for you, _Brother_!"

"What?!" Frank exclaimed. "I never intended…"

"I hope you're happy now," Brighid said in disgust. "You've dragged us to some empty ruins! I hope that was worth everything that we sacrificed!"

Both Meg and Ethan (who was using his saber) drew their weapons and charged at the Master Driver. Frank had no choice but to draw his sword to defend himself.

"Why are you guys doing this?" Frank asked his friends. "What's the point in us fighting?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ethan said. "For vengeance. Because of you, my father is dead! He was the only family I had left, but now he's gone!"

"What?!"

"That's right," Poppi agreed. "We must take our vengeance! For all the lives you have stolen…"

"But… I didn't…"

"We'll take your life as an apology, Frank!" Meg declared.

Unable to process what was going on, Frank ran away from his friends.

'_What is this place?_' Frank asked himself. '_What's wrong with everyone?_'

"Mythra! Pyra! Jin!" Frank called out. "Where are you guys?!" Sadly no one answered him.

The Master Driver then found himself on the Cliffs of Morytha, right at the ruins where he rescued Pyra and Mythra.

"Why are you running, Frank?" asked a new voice.

Frank turned and saw Mika, Kasandra, Jason, and Pandoria behind him.

"No," Frank said in despair. "Don't tell me you guys are…"

"Are you having fun, Frank?" Jason asked sarcastically. "Playing the hero you pretend to be, refusing to grow up?"

"T-that's not…"

"You're the worst best friend ever!" Mika exclaimed. "You don't deserve to be the Driver of the Aegis!"

"You only became the Driver of the Aegis through sheer luck!" Kasandra added. "Not fair!"

"I bet it felt really good, didn't it?" Pandoria said. "Getting special treatment from everyone, getting chosen by both the Aegis and the Paragon of Torna… Who decided that _you_ should have that kind of power? How about you hand it over to my prince right now. He deserves it!"

Frank was taken aback at the accusations. "Stop it already!" the Master Driver shouted. "I didn't do anything wrong to any of you!"

"So, you haven't worked that out, either?" Jason questioned. "In your hurry to get here, you never stopped to consider all the things lying in your wake!"

Frank couldn't take it anymore and drew the Aegis Sword. "No! Stop it!" he cried out before swinging his sword, accidently firing a light blast from it that destroyed a nearby pillar that collapsed over his friends.

"Oh no!" Frank sheathed his sword and started digging through the rubble, trying to find the Chaos Quartet. "No. I never wanted this! Jason! Pandoria! Mika! Kasandra!"

"What are you doing, Frank?" said a familiar voice.

Frank then found himself on a small dragonic Titan in the middle of the Cloud Sea. He quickly realized that the Titan he was on was none other than Azurda, fully grown.

"Azurda! You're…" Frank said as the Titan turned his head towards the Master Driver.

The duo then watched as they saw another Titan, one that was dying, sink beneath the Cloud Sea.

"What is the point?" Azurda questioned. "What is the point of us, really? We are born as Blades, then return to our slumber, again and again, over countless years… until we become Titans, to wander the world for countless more. And at the end of it all, we sink into nothingness. Have you ever thought about it? What it means to exist for close to an eternity, with no clear purpose or goal…"

Frank lowered his head. "That's…"

"Must be nice to be human," Azurda continued. "Living for a limited time, thinking limited thoughts. It must be so much easier. I envy your kind… Just think, Frank, would you? What would you do if you were me? Would you be happy to drift around the ocean with a human on your back? Is that all I am to be?!"

Frank struggled to find a reply. "I-I don't know how to answer that! Why are you asking me this?! Why are you and the others acting so weird?!"

The Master Driver then found himself in Fonsett Village. He noticed the lights in Corinne's house was on, prompting him to approach it. He opened the door and found Pyra, Mythra, and Jin inside. Mythra was sitting by the table while Jin and Pyra were setting it with trays of food.

"Welcome back," Jin greeted warmly.

"You're late, Frank!" Mythra said with a smile. "Where'd you wander off to? I was getting worried."

"Mythra, Pyra, Jin…" Frank said quietly.

Pyra then approached their Driver and led him to the table. "Come on, let's go ahead and eat," she said. "Jin and I cooked a whole bunch of your favorites. I hope you've got enough room!"

Frank took a seat by Jin with Mythra in front of him while Pyra went to the kitchen to get the rest of the food.

Mythra then handed the Master Driver a bowl of soup. "Well, eat up," she said. The blonde-haired Aegis then held out a basket that contained a variety of bread. "Which kind of bread do you want?" Mythra asked.

"Oh, um… Maybe this and this…" Frank said as he pointed at two rolls. Mythra subsequently placed them on her Driver's plate.

"We can't eat without any drinks," Jin said. "I'll get some water. You want any, Frank?"

"Um, sure. Thanks." As the Paragon of Torna went to make a couple glasses of water, Frank turned his gaze to Mythra. "Are you feeling okay, Mythra?"

"What do you mean?" the Aegis asked.

"Well, you're a lot nicer than normal," Frank said nervously.

"Stop it!" Mythra said with a smile. "I'm always nice to you, aren't I?"

Frank only felt more confused but chose not to press further. "If you say so."

Jin then returned with the water glasses and took his seat. Pyra also returned just as Frank was about to start eating.

"Frank!" Pyra said in a light scolding manner. "How can you sit down and eat without washing your hands first? That's a faux pas! Go wash your hands right now!"

"Uh, I'm sorry," Frank said slowly. He went over to the kitchen and washed his hands. "Pyra's acting a lot like Mythra." Once he dried his hands, Frank returned to the table.

"Did you scrub them properly?" Pyra questioned fiercely.

"Give him a break, Pyra," Jin said. "Let's just eat."

The group began to chow down. "Tastes great," Frank said in-between bites of his steak. "Jin, you and Pyra are awesome cooks!"

"Thanks, Frank," the Paragon of Torna replied with a smile.

"Maybe I'll try my hand at it next time," Mythra mused.

"Mythra, no," Pyra responded. "You know how that always ends."

"But carbon's good for you! Anyway, I want to do something nice for Frank too!"

"No cooking!" Pyra argued. "Who's gonna save the world if Frank gets the runs?"

"You're so mean!" Mythra retorted. "It was only that one time!"

Frank and Jin simply watched as the girls argued with each other. "It's okay, you two," Frank said. "I don't care who cooks, I'm just happy we're…" He paused as he felt his bottled-up emotions begin to leak out. "Happy we're…" Frank couldn't take it anymore and began to mentally break down.

Mythra and Pyra stopped their argument as they gazed at their Driver with remorse, as did Jin, who placed his hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"Frank," Mythra muttered to herself.

"It's all so strange," the Master Driver said. "I don't even know what I'm doing here any more. Everyone's acting weird. They said I… But now you two… Did I go wrong somewhere?"

Mythra rose from her seat and approached her Driver. She then began wiping away his tears with her finger.

"I think that's enough," Pyra said before looking up. "Please, Father?"

The area went dark as Frank suddenly found himself in a dark room with Mythra and Jin by his side. Azurda was in his hood while all of his friends were with him as well.

"What the?" Frank said in confusion.

**To be continued**


	45. Chapter 45: The Architect

**Chapter 45- The Architect**

Everyone, except Mythra, was confused as to what was going on. It was difficult to see anything in the dim light, but they could see each other clearly.

"What the?" Ethan said. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," Jason replied. "I thought I was…"

"I merely wished to examine the shapes of your hearts," the Architect spoke up.

Everyone turned and could barely make out Klaus hovering before them in the center of the room.

"Klaus?!" Frank shouted in shock. "What are you doing here? And why do you look so old?"

"A very simple answer, really. My name is Klaus, yes, but I am not the one you know. The Klaus you knew was once a part of me, before he separated to fulfill his own desires, but he has now remerged with me. I am also the Architect of this world."

Everyone, except Mythra, was shocked.

"_You're_ the Architect!" Jin exclaimed.

Klaus nodded in confirmation. "I am. I have watched over you all this time. I have seen your thoughts, your desires, the things you have achieved."

"So you were responsible for that?" Frank questioned.

"Yes," Klaus confirmed. "Those were not your present forms, but alternate possibilities. Your other selves that lie within. That is what I wanted to see."

"Our other selves?" Jason spoke up. "You mean we're all thinking stuff like that deep down? Was that how we really feel?"

"Then you saw it too?" Nia asked the Thunderbolt. She was in her Blade form again.

"It looks like we were all shown the same stuff," the Tantalese prince said. "It creeped me out!" He turned towards the Architect. "Just what were you trying to prove to us?"

Klaus paused before answering, "Those were the fears you harbor…"

"I don't get it at all," Mika said.

"What was your purpose in showing us this?" Dromarch questioned. "Those were not pleasant visions to behold."

"My only purpose was to find out how mankind has changed and where it is heading," Klaus explained.

"And were you disappointed?" Meg asked.

"No… As you stand before me right now… that is who you are. That is enough."

Frank took a moment to process before speaking. "Klaus, I came here because I met Mythra. Is this really Elysium? Are you really…?"

"I will show you everything," Klaus said. "Memories… Mine, and those of this planet. I will also explain the connection between Alrest and Earth. Billions of years ago, this world was once the stage of a struggle for survival that dwarfed this current predicament. The world was an unseemly place, though glimpses of beauty persisted. What should people live for? Who should they live for…?"

Klaus began showing the party his memories, which were the events before he did his experiment.

"They live for themselves. To harbor desires and struggle to realize them, that is the natural state of man. But I did not think that was good enough. I lost hope for mankind. I searched tirelessly for an outside solution. And one day, I found it. The Conduit. Why it chose to appear before us, I do not know. However, its existence presented a new possibility."

"Possibility?" Sonum said in confusion.

"Our world was not the only one," Klaus explained. "Endless universes coexist, side by side, yet all completely unaware of one another. The Conduit was our link to these foreign worlds… and I opened that forbidden gateway, praying that it would change the world. You have seen the plain called Morytha, have you not? That is what remains of my world… of your Earth."

"What?!" the party exclaimed in disbelief.

"Are you saying that Alrest and Earth are the same place?!" Frank questioned fiercely.

Klaus nodded in confirmation. "Indeed. The Earth from which you hail is the past of this Earth. Their link was made possible through the Conduit. When I opened the Conduit, many people and many things, disappeared into different dimensions. All that remained here were the ruins of Morytha and Temporal Island, however, Temporal Island was the only place that wasn't affected at all by my actions. That is because of its timeless nature, enduring for countless millenia while isolating itself from the rest of the world. However, I also lost half of my body that day."

The light in the room brightened, revealing that the left side of Klaus's body was missing. Instead there was just a black void. Everyone was horrified at the sight. There were large blue circles of data above Klaus's head as well.

"Your… body…" Frank said.

"Half of me lives on in some other dimension," Klaus explained. "But not for much longer."

"What do you mean?" Jin asked curiously.

"The moment of my other self's demise draws near."

Mythra's eyes filled with sorrow. "Father… you…"

"I was a fool," Klaus continued. "Because of my foolishness, I lost everything. Left here, alone and broken, I longed for oblivion but even that eluded me. That is my punishment. Retribution from on high, for the sin I have committed…"

"On high?" Frank questioned.

"There was only one thing I could do," Klaus explained. "I had to atone for my sin. I swore to restore this world." He showed the party a holographic image of strange blue molecules. "The first thing I created was a special particulate substance with the ability to restore deteriorated matter. You all know it as the Cloud Sea. The Cloud Sea can disassemble matter it comes in contact with and rebuild it in the image of all the things that once made up this world. This way, little by little, I could rebuild the world I had brought to ruin.

"Next, I began to recreate life. I gathered miniature vessels containing memories of all of Earth's former lifeforms…" Klaus showed them a holographic Core Crystal and dropped it. As the core fell, it shattered into multiple fragments and scattered across a holographic Cloud sea, almost like a meteor shower. "I scattered them across the Cloud Sea. These are the Core Crystals."

Everyone was in awe at the sight as it resembled a meteor shower. They then saw blue molecules form DNA strands.

"The Crystals bonded with the Cloud Sea's particulate reconstructors and formed the nuclei of new life. Those nuclei developed into minute lifeforms, the Titans, who would over time grow larger and larger. Finally, the Titans gave birth to complex organisms, based on the data in their Core Crystals. This newly-birthed life, over untold millenia, evolved into a new breed of mankind."

"So that's how we came to live in this world," Meg said.

"However, I did not trust this world, born as it had been," Klaus explained as the holograms faded. "What if it were to repeat our mistakes? What if someone like me appeared? To stave off these doubts, I implemented one final measure. And so the Blades were born."

The Architect showed the group an image of a console that contained four Aegis cores. They were blue, onyx, silver, and green respectfully. "Ontos, Logos, Fenrir, and Pneuma," Klaus continued. "These four cores of the Quaternary Processor formed their cornerstone. However," the blue core suddenly faded away, "Ontos triggered a space-time transition event, and disappeared forever. I was left with the other three, Logos, Fenrir and Pneuma, and entrusted them with managing the Blades. You know them now as Malos, Marth, and Mythra."

Mythra cupped her hands over her core. "So, I am… Pneuma…"

"Marth did mention that he was the third Aegis that Amalthus took," Jin spoke up. "But how can that be when he was living in an alternate world?"

"I will explain that in due time," Klaus said. "Before I get to that, I will explain what I mean by 'managing'. The Core Crystals at the heart of each Blade are tasked with relaying all kinds of information to Logos, Fenrir, and Pneuma… About the selection pressures of the outside world, and the biological status of their bonded human, but also the experiences and emotions they share. As the data continually accrues, new evolutionary code is sent back to the Core Crystals, and this code is used to create new, further evolved Blades. These Blades too become Titans, in time, and create new generations of lifeforms. This was the new circle of life I had created."

"A grand scheme," Azurda commented. "It boggles the mind a tad."

"So we were all born from this endless cycle of life to replace the victims of Earth," Sonum said slowly.

Klaus nodded in acknowledgement. "That's right. But there were also a handful of survivors. I believe you saw them when you were in Morytha. The unfortunate ones who clung to life…"

Frank then remembered the large creature the party fought in Morytha, and the ID badge he showed to Mythra.

"You mean… those monsters… they were originally humans?" Brighid asked in shock.

"Core Crystals were first conceived as a replacement for human brain cells," Klaus replied. "A product of mankind's age-old quest for immortality."

"And that's what became of them," the Flamebringer realized. "How awful…"

"But that technology became the starting point for the creation of Blades and Titans."

"So in one sense, their sacrifice was not in vain," Azurda said. "Though not all may see it as such."

"So tell us," Dromarch added. "In the end… Did we develop as you had hoped?"

"What do you think?" Klaus asked.

The tiger Blade was taken aback by the question. "I… couldn't possibly…"

Klaus was silent for a moment. "Well… Those phantasms which you all experienced earlier… Those are the feelings that lurk in all of your hearts. As well as that man, Amalthus's… When a person loses something, they cannot help but seek a reason why. Within themselves, or in others. They seek a concrete answer to the question of who they really are, deep inside. Such a very lonely existence. But perhaps that is what it is to be human.

"All this data passed through me, and I knew," Klaus continued. "All of you… You are not in any way different from us, before. That is why I did not intervene. Five hundred years ago, when that man finally arrived here, I did nothing as he took away Logos, Fenrir, and Pneuma. I stood and watched as Logos, instatiated into Blade form, set out to purge the world."

"You're not making any sense!" Frank said hastily. "Didn't you go through all that trouble to rebuild it? Why would you…?"

"It is fate," Klaus answered.

"Fate?"

"It is fated to happen," Klaus said. "It cannot but happen. My atonement was doomed from the start."

"That can't be!" Mythra objected.

"I have made I peace with it. Once more, I longed for nothing more than to disappear. However, deep down, a part of me refused to accept this truth," Klaus explained. "This, echo, separated from my very being and retrieved Fenrir from Amalthus. He also tried to push mankind in the right direction. I believe it is now time for me to explain Marth's true nature to you all. You see, after my echo reclaimed Fenrir, it triggered a space-time event that sent a part of Fenrir's code to another world. That world was the World of SAO. Fenrir then somehow managed to merge with the remnant of the Twilight Hero there before it had reincarnated, binding them together forever. When Marth first appeared on Alrest, neither me, my echo, nor Malos and Mythra knew who he was. It wasn't until my echo noticed Fenrir's core reacting to the Dark Swordsman that he knew. However, he chose not to act until he deemed it was necessary. It was only when Fenrir was restored that I was able to detect his presence once more. Something else has changed as well. And that is you, Frank. You and Pneuma."

"What?" Frank said in confusion before facing his partner. "Me and Mythra and Pyra…?"

Klaus nodded. "You reforged your bond in a way I had not thought possible. And the life you share…" He closed his eyes for a few moments. "Moreover… The Conduit, which fell into a stubborn silence after Earth's destruction, has begun stirring once more." He gazed at the Master Driver. "Frank. The power you and Pneuma exercise is the Conduit's power. It was also how Marth was able to come to Alrest the last two times. Its power comes leaking out of some far-flung dimension. And it is a power we can know nothing about. But with its help, the world may be about to change."

Meanwhile multiple Siren Artifices (none of them belonging to either Mythra or Marth) began firing their particle cannons down on Alrest. More Gargoyles descended down towards the Titans gathered around the World Tree. The party could feel all of Elysium tremor because of it.

"What's going on?!" Kasandra exclaimed in fear.

"It is Logos," Klaus answered. "Malos, trying to destroy this world and everything in it."

"What?!" Mika yelped.

"Remember, at heart he is but an information processing unit," Klaus explained. "He is neither good nor evil. He is driven by a certain impulse… The despair that the man named Amalthus felt."

"I see," Frank said. "So I was right. Back at the Praetorium, it felt like we were talking to both Malos and Amalthus."

"Frank," Mythra muttered as she gazed at her Driver.

"Frank… What is it you desire?" Klaus asked sincerely.

The Master Driver looked the Architect in the eye. "What else? To stop Malos."

"And if you succeed?"

Frank looked somewhat nervous. "I never really thought that far ahead," he admitted sheepishly. "I guess after I pummel him, I'll try to help him sort through his problems. It's not Malos's fault for the way he is."

The Paragon of Torna chuckled. "That sounds like you, all right," Jin said.

Klaus cracked a smile. "I see," he said before turning his gaze to the Aegis. "Pneuma…" he paused, "No, I should call you Mythra and Pyra."

"What is it?" Mythra asked.

"I want to apologize, for having to burden you with all this," Klaus revealed.

Mythra simply shook her head. "Don't worry. We're actually grateful." She began to approach the Architect. "Thanks to you, Father, we got to meet Frank and everyone else. Those are cherished memories."

Klaus then extended his hand towards Mythra. Suddenly her core and tiara lit up and she took on her ascended form, Pneuma's form. The Aegis Sword also changed to match.

"Father…" Mythra said slowly.

"I have transferred all of Elysium's data and authorizations to you," Klaus explained. "Make me proud."

"We will," Mythra said with a nod.

"Frank," Klaus added. "I will disappear soon. When I do, the Conduit will likely disappear from this world. You may not be able to use your power forever."

"Understood," Frank said. "We'll do what we can."

"One other thing. When the Conduit vanishes, the link between Alrest and Earth will be severed forever. None of you will ever be able to return to Earth once this happens."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Frank said. "We've all made our peace that we wouldn't be returning to Earth long ago. I'm more than happy to live out the rest of my days here in Alrest."

"As do we all," Ethan added.

"Very well. I'm counting on you all," Klaus said. He then gave Mythra a look of fatherly pride.

The Aegis began to lead her friends out when suddenly Frank stopped to face Klaus one final time, causing the others to do the same. "Klaus!" he called out. "Have you changed your mind about this world?"

Klaus paused to think. "Right now," he said honestly. "I think… I am glad to have met you all."

Frank cracked a grin. "Got it. Then our answers match!" he said in excitement. "Thank you for everything."

Klaus simply smiled back. He then watched as the party hurried out of the room to stop Malos. "Perhaps…" he said to himself, his tone filled with longing. "Perhaps I will be able to face you again… Galea."

**To be continued**


	46. Chapter 46: Aion

**Chapter 46- Aion**

After a few minutes, Frank and his friends walked in a hallway before stopping.

"Mythra, where's Malos?" Frank asked his partner.

"If he is here, I know where he must have gone," Mythra answered. "He's gone to awaken the greatest of all Artifices. The Artifice that exists solely to destroy the world. Aion."

Jin held his chin with his hand. "Didn't Malos mention Aion back on the Cliffs of Morytha? This must've been what he meant."

"If he unleashes that thing on Alrest, it'll be the end of the world," Nia said. "Mythra, can you lead us to where Aion is being kept?"

The Emerald Aegis nodded. "Of course. Follow me!"

The party followed Mythra through an elevator and down another hallway that led to small room with a window. They could see multiple Siren Artifices firing particle beams down on Alrest. The civilians on the Titans ran in fear as buildings were destroyed by the Artifices.

"Are all those Sirens…?!" Brighid asked.

"He's really trying to destroy all of Alrest," Meg said.

The party watched as Gargoyles descended to the world below.

"We have to hurry!" Frank said. "Marth and the others can't hold off Malos's forces forever. Let's go!"

The party went into another hallway that led to a large hanger that contained several Colossus Artifices. They had to fight their way through until they reached Aion's hanger. The party paused as they stood outside.

"This is it," Frank said. "Our final battle." He turned towards his friends. "I want you all to know that it's been an honor to travel with you all. We've all grown to be so much stronger than we were back on Earth."

Jason chuckled in amusement. "I didn't know you were the sentimental type, Frank. But I get your point. We made a lot of great memories here."

"Remember the time when Jason and Mika attacked us in Uraya and they fell down a cliff?" Nia said with mischievous smirk.

"What?" Meg said in confusion.

Both Mika and Jason cringed at the memory. "That was not a pleasant experience," the Chaosbringer said. "We ended up falling into a river and were chased downstream by a school of Piranhaxes. Not fun."

Jason then pulled his girlfriend into a kiss, an action that surprised her, but she quickly kissed back. Once they parted, Jason said, "Been wanting to do that for a while now. We've been so busy fighting that we haven't been acting like boyfriend and girlfriend. I love you, Meg."

The Flamebringer smiled. "I love you too, Jason."

Jin then noticed both Mika and Kasandra were kissing as well. "Looks like you two aren't the only ones," the Paragon of Torna commented.

Mika and Kasandra then parted. "What?" the Dark Blade asked innocently. "This'll be our toughest fight yet. There's no telling if we'll survive it or not. We might as well get things off our chests while we have the chance."

Ethan folded his arms. "I understand that, but that doesn't make it any less weird."

"Ethan," Poppi said suddenly, getting her Driver's attention.

"What is it?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for creating me. You're the best Driver ever." The artificial Blade then kissed Ethan on the cheek. Everyone laughed as his face went red with embarrassment.

"Y-you're welcome," Ethan stuttered.

All eyes then went to Frank and Mythra.

"Uh, why are you guys staring at us?" the Emerald Aegis asked nervously, not liking the attenion.

"We're just waiting for you two to confess your feelings to each other," Nia answered, prompting the duo to blush.

"Don't bother denying it, either," Sonum added. "Everyone knows how you two to feel for each other. It's not like you guys are good at hiding it, either."

Mythra folded her arms. "Y-you guys are being ridiculous!" she protested. "Besides, if Frank and I did have feelings for each other, shouldn't we reveal them when _we_ choose to?"

"Yeah!" Frank agreed. "You guys are just being bullies!"

"True," Pandoria said. "But Kasandra makes a good point. We don't know what will happen in there. Don't you want to go out without any regrets?"

Both Frank and Mythra grunted as they struggled to form a reply.

Surprisingly, Jin saved them by saying, "Anyway. Malos is a powerful foe. But we can't afford to give up now."

The other Drivers and Blades, except Frank and Mythra, were disappointed from the subject change but chose to go along with it.

"Indeed," Meg said. "If we give up hope now, Alrest will be destroyed."

"Marth and the others are risking their lives to keep Malos's forces at bay," Nia added. "We can't let them down."

"A lot of innocent lives are at stake too," Jason said. "If we fail, everyone we care about is gonna die."

"Way to stay positive," Ethan mused in depression.

Poppi lightly slapped him on the arm. "Ethan! What did I say about your negative comments?!"

Ethan flinched in fear. "Sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"So many people are relying on us," Mika said. "Zeke, Torna, the Alfheim Warriors, everyone."

"We've run into all kinds of trouble to get this far," Jin said. "This may be our greatest obstacle, but we'll surpass it all the same."

"With all of us working together, nothing can defeat us," Kasandra added.

Frank and Mythra locked eyes and nodded. "Now then," the Master Driver said as he drew his sword. "Let's combine our powers and seize our destiny!"

"Yeah!" the party exclaimed as they all brought their weapons together and held them up one final time.

"Let's go," Mythra said before opening the hanger door.

The party then hurried inside, where they found Malos standing in front of the inactive Aion.

"Malos!" Frank shouted, prompting the Onyx Aegis to turn and face him.

"Just in time for the final act, boy!" Malos declared. "I saved you the best seats in the house." He chuckled in amusement. "I sounded just like Akhos for a moment there."

"Akhos is dead, you bastard!" Nia exclaimed. "So is Patroka, Mikhail, and Zeke…"

Malos's eyes briefly flashed with sorrow at the mention of Zeke's name before recollecting himself. "I figured as much," he admitted.

"Is that all?" the Flesh Eater questioned.

"What, do you want me to weep and prepare a eulogy?" Malos said. "What good would that do? They all desired oblivion, and now they've achieved it. Least I can do is send them off with a smile."

"Malos," Frank said. "Is this really what you want?"

The Onyx Aegis looked confused. "Huh?"

"Is this what _you_ want, Malos?!"

Malos folded his arms. "I don't understand the question."

"You must know it by now," Frank said. "That none of this is your own will! You have to see that all of this came from Amalthus!"

The Onyx Aegis locked eyes with the Master Driver. "Even if that's true, so what?" Malos replied. "And don't give me some weak-ass crap about how I should repent or whatever."

"Why don't you want to hear the truth?"

Malos lowered his arms. "Here's the thing. I don't give a rat's ass what you think, brat!" he boomed, catching everyone off-guard. "So Blades become Titans? And Titans give life to humans…? Honestly, who even gives a damn? They can become whatever they want. But that man, he lost everything."

It took Frank a second to realize who Malos was talking about.

"Do you even know how much Zeta's darkness affected Zeke? It spread across his body like a curse, affecting his very being. It took everything away from him. His ideals, his friends, even his family! It got to the point where he no longer wanted anything. He didn't even want to live any more. And despite that…" Malos tightened his right hand into a fist. "His life was the only thing he hadn't lost, because that damn curse prevented it! I tried to help him by turning him into a Blade Eater, but it only made things worse for him.

"Memories can be a curse too, you know," Malos continued. "Zeke had to live with the knowledge that Selena died because of him, and that his own children would resent him because of the man he had become. A wretched tale, isn't it? This whole world is a wretched place!"

"Do not forget that you too are a part of that world!" Azurda intervened. "If it were not for you, for Amalthus… Zeta's forces would have never come to Alrest or Earth, and both Zeke and Selena's lives could have taken much different paths."

"Exactly!" Malos exclaimed. "That's exactly it! You've gotten smarter with age, huh? I'm a wretched being too! A hideous monster, far beyond saving!" He paused for a moment. "…So let's end this now."

Malos's Core Crystal began glowing purple.

"Don't you feel anything?" Mythra questioned fiercely. "Father's sadness? The world he longed for?!"

"How could I?!" Malos retorted. "That isn't my role in this world."

Everyone could feel the enormous power coming off from the Onyx Aegis.

"No way," Jin said in disbelief. "Does he actually plan to…?!"

Aion then activated, its arms and two appendages preparing for action, and a gold halo appeared above it. Its two sets of wings, the right scarlet and the left green, spread out. Malos then floated over to the Aegis core on the Artifice's chest.

"Come at me, kid!" Malos shouted as the party dre their weapons. "Come, my partner! Give me all you've got! You better show me all of it! The extent of your will! Show me why you're here in this world!" Malos then merged with Aion's core as it got ready for battle.

"You heard him, everyone!" Frank cried out. "Don't hold back! Let's show him what we're made of!"

"Yeah!" everyone exclaimed.

Aion made the first move as it swung one of its appendages at the party, causing them to scatter. The Artifice then fired a beam from its left hand at Mika and Kasandra, but the Chaosbringer blocked it with Delta Shield.

"Dynamic Spark Sword!" Jason exclaimed as he unleashed the Art on one appendage, damaging it somewhat.

"Azure Striker, Form the Second: Hellfire!" Meg shouted as she ignited her whipswords with blue flames before slashing at one of Aion's appendages, leaving some burn marks behind.

"Is that the best you can do?!" Malos mocked.

"Not even close!" Jin yelled. "Ice Revolution!" Jin began the Special by doing a swift palm strike on Aion. He then did a downward slash, toppling it, before launching the Artifice into the air with an upward spin attack. Jin then finished the Special by smashing Aion with a downward slash.

"Okay, that was better," Malos admitted as Aion picked itself up.

Ethan then switched to the Drill Shield and fired a series of bombs at the Artifice. Meg and Brighid followed it up with Soulfire, while Jason fired a beam of lightning from his sword. The attacks struck Aion and caused multiple miniature explosions.

"We're not done yet!" Sonum declared. She and Dromarch unleashed Dark Maelstrom, striking Aion with a large blast of blue ether.

Suddenly Aion's appendages fired a series of lasers at the party, prompting the Blades to raise their defense barriers to shield them. Kasandra's barrier ended up shattering, however, causing both her and Mika to get injured.

"You're not burning anyone today!" Nia declared as she used Merciful Heart to heal her comrades.

"Nia, watch out!" Jin shouted as he jumped to intercept an appendage that tried to attack the Flesh Eater while she was distracted. The Paragon of Torna, with some struggle, was able to repel it with his sword.

"Thanks, Jin."

"No problem."

The appendages tried to attack the party again, but Mika and Ethan intercepted them with dark blasts and bombs respectively. They, along with their Blades, had gold auras around them.

Malos then noticed a wormhole open up above Frank as a Siren beam struck his sword. With a shout, Frank swung his sword and sent the beam straight at the Artifice, causing an explosion that damaged it.

"Can you still not see?!" Frank shouted as he fired more Siren beams at Aion with the Aegis Sword.

Malos could feel Aion shaking from inside its cockpit. He had Aion recover by lunging at the Master Driver with its appendages, but Frank evaded them as he dashed towards the Artifice.

"Stop the Artifice now!" Frank demanded before firing another blast at Aion.

"See what, brat?!" Malos yelled. "The world's never gonna change if that's all you got!"

**Mor Ardain**

Emperor Niall was in the capital trying to evacuate the civilians while General Luke and the Ardainian army held off the Gargoyles. Professor James and Lila also assisted in the fighting, with James wielding the artificial Blade's mech arms. The entire city was in flames.

One Gargoyle tried to attack the emperor but was immediately destroyed by a silver particle beam before it could act. Marth and Kirito then landed in front of Niall, their swords drawn. Yuuki and Asuna, meanwhile, were busy protecting a group of civilians from more Artifices.

"You okay?" the Dark Swordsman asked in concern.

Niall slowly nodded before gasping in recognition. "Frank?! Is that you?"

The Silver Aegis shook his head. "Sorry, wrong guy. My name's Marth," he explained. "I just look like him."

"So you're Marth. Meg's told me a lot about you. Were you always an Aegis?"

"It's a long story, but yeah, I just found out recently." Marth then summoned two lightning bolts that struck two Gargoyles that tried to attack them, destroying the Artifices.

Kirito grunted in frustration as he saw more Gargoyles coming. "There's too many of them!" the Black Swordsman shouted. "Marth, we'll need Siren's help to stop this!"

Marth nodded in acknowledgement. "Understood." His Aegis core began glowing with silver light.

Suddenly a Siren Artifice descended from the sky and hovered behind the trio. This Siren had a silver and black color scheme along with black wings and a silver Aegis core on its chest.

"Be careful, you two," Niall warned. "The power of an Aegis should not be taken lightly!"

"We know," Marth said. "I'll try to contain it as best as I can. Meanwhile, you should get to safety."

Niall shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "I will not abandon my people! You do what you do best, I will do mine."

Marth sighed in defeat. "Very well. Let's go, Kirito!"

"I'm right behind you!"

The Silver Aegis then ordered his Siren to attack the Gargoyles, which the Artifice obeyed. Siren summoned its twin cannons and fired multiple particle blasts at the Gargoyles above the capital while the Darkness Duo fought the ones on the ground.

In the middle of the fighting, Asuna noticed a man who was badly injured and pinned under some debris. The person groaned in pain, signaling that he was still alive.

"Yuuki!" the Undine called out. "Someone's trapped over here! Give me a hand!"

"You got it!" the Absolute Sword replied.

The two fairies were able to pull the man free, causing them to see just how severe his injuries were. The man's maroon armor was badly damaged, and he had multiple burns on his body, which were somehow healing at a rapid rate. The strangest thing they saw was a blue Core Crystal on his chest.

"Is he a Blade?" Yuuki asked curiously.

Asuna shook her head. "I don't know. But we can't just leave him here." She began chanting a healing spell, causing words of power to circle her before pouring her magic to heal the man.

The man slowly stirred. "Wh-where am I?" he asked slowly. "How am I still alive?"

"Alba Cavanich, I think," Asuna answered. "You were injured so I healed you."

"Uh, thanks. I guess."

"Can you move?" Yuuki asked.

"Somewhat, why?"

"Well, Malos's Artifices are attacking with the intent to destroy the world. We're trying to stop him."

"Malos…?" the man said slowly. He looked over and watched the Gargoyles lay waste to the capital, which brought back painful memories. The man then faced the fairies. "Let me help you fight. I can't stand by and watch this happen."

"No way!" Asuna refused. "You're in no condition to fight. Besides, how _would_ you fight? You don't have any weapons!"

"Don't worry, I heal fast," the man said. "As for weapons," twin fan blades then materialized in his hands. "Now will you let me fight?"

Yuuki and Asuna glanced at each other and shrugged. "Okay," the Imp replied. "If that's what you really want. My name's Yuuki and this is Asuna. What's your name?"

"Mikhail," the man said simply. The now trio then hurried to rejoin the battle.

**Tantal**

King Eulogimenos had the civilians moved to the palace while his soldiers engaged the Gargoyles. The whole city was in flames. Despite their efforts, the humans were slowly being overwhelmed until Klein, Agil, Sinon, and Silica joined the fight.

"Who are you?" Eulogimenos asked the fairies.

"That's not important right now," Sinon said as she readied an arrow. "Just know that we're here to help you."

"Thank you."

**Uraya**

Queen Raqura mobilized the Urayan army to evacuate Fonsa Myrma and to battle the Gargoyles. Leafa, Thorrnn, Celina, and Lisbeth volunteered to assist in the fight, which the Urayan queen chose to accept.

The two Sylphs had just finished off one Gargoyle with their magic when they noticed Minoth and Iona nearby. The old Flesh Eater had switched his cloak for black armor, which also revealed his Core Crystal. He had twin daggers in his hands that could morph into blasters.

"You can't fight in your condition, Grandpa!" Iona said desperately. "We need to get to safety!"

"I'm sorry, Iona, but I can't," Minoth replied solemnly. "So many people are risking their lives to stop Malos. I can't just stand by and do nothing. Even if it costs me my life, I will fight to protect you."

"Grandpa."

Thorrnn and Leafa then approached the duo. "We overheard your conversation," Thorrnn said. "We appreciate the help, sir, but please don't strain yourself. We can handle this on our…"

Suddenly a Blade Bot appeared and prepared to attack the Sylphs from behind, but Minoth morphed his right dagger into a blaster and destroyed the artificial Blade with one shot.

"Thanks for the sentiment," Minoth said firmly. "I may be old, but there's still some power left in this Flesh Eater body of mine. How I use it is my decision alone."

Leafa sighed in defeat, knowing that she couldn't convince him otherwise. "Okay, but please be careful."

"I will. Iona, get to safety! I'll meet up with you once this is all over."

The young Urayan was hesitant to leave her grandfather but obeyed and went with the other fleeing civilians. Thorrnn, Leafa, and Minoth went to rejoin the battle.

**Aion Hanger**

Malos tried to crush Frank with Aion's right palm, but the Master Driver rolled to evade. Frank then countered by firing a green beam from his sword at the Artifice's right hand, which was heading towards him.

"The world will change!" Frank declared as he ran and jumped over the hand before striking it. "I will change it! That's the reason we've come all this way!"

Aion tried to punch the Master Driver with its left fist, but Frank stopped it by firing a green beam at it from his sword.

"Why don't you just let it go?!" Malos shouted as Mythra and Jin hurried to their Driver's side. "Who do you think you're doing this for?!"

Aion fired its lasers at the trio, but Jin and Mythra blocked it with their defense barriers.

"I'm doing it to help people!" Frank said. "If it helps them live their lives together in peace, prevent them from suffering like I did, then that's my role in this world!" He charged up the Aegis Sword again and fired another beam at the Artifice, damaging it.

"My father told me to take care of you in his place," Frank continued. "Zeke never wanted to die. He just wanted to connect with you! He did it because you showed him a path!"

Malos's eyes filled with disdain. "And how many people died because of it?!" the Onyx Aegis countered. "You forgive him, just like that?!"

"Forgiving isn't that easy," Frank replied. "But that's just the way the world is. We need to find a way forward, within this world! Even you used to think like that once!?" Frank raised his sword up, causing a golden beam of light to shoot from the blade. The light then turned green as Frank sent it at Aion.

Meanwhile, Klaus could hear a male voice coming from the void on his left side. "Today, we use our power to fell a god," the voice said, "and then, seize our destiny!"

"Hurry," Klaus said urgently. "The time… is nigh…"

Malos decided to unleash Aion's true power on the party. His Siren Buster attack, which was a beam of golden ether, would've decimated everyone had Nia and Sonum not healed them when they did.

"We can't handle another attack like that," Jason said. "We need to end this quickly!"

Pandoria nodded. "If Malos is going all out, then we should too!"

"I'm down if everyone is," Ethan said as he switched to his saber.

"Let's end this once and for all," Mika proclaimed. A gold aura appeared around him and Kasandra.

"Melancholic Break!" the duo shouted in sync. Mika struck Aion with his hammer multiple times before throwing it to Kasandra, which she subsequently caught.

"Time to make sure luck is on our side," Kasandra said as she put her mask on her face. A dark aura surrounded her as she shot a dark energy blast from her hammer at the Artifice, creating an explosion that damaged it. She then returned her mask to the back of her head and gave her hammer back to Mika.

"So many people died because of you, Malos," Sonum declared. "Good people. I won't let their deaths be in vain!" She and Dromarch then shouted, "Dark Maelstrom!" Together, they sent a massive wave of blue ether at Aion, stunning it.

Malos growled in anger. "Why you…!"

"As Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain, it my duty to stop you to save my country," Meg said before handing her left whipsword to Brighid. The duo stood shoulder to shoulder, a golden aura surrounding them. They raised their swords as blue flames encased the blades, before extending the whips. "Soulfire!" Meg and Brighid cried out in sync as they swung their whipswords at Aion, sending a wave of blue flames its way.

Aion was barely able to block the flames with its appendages, but they were badly burned from the attack.

"Looks like your ultimate weapon needs repairing," Ethan commented as a gold aura flared around him and his Blade. "Too bad I'm gonna make it worse!" He and Poppi then shouted, "Quantum Judgement!"

Ethan began the Blade Special by doing a downward slash before following it up with a spin attack. He then tossed the saber to Poppi, who jumped in and performed a series of high-speed slashes on Aion.

"You have inflicted more than enough suffering upon the world, Malos," Jason said. "Your end has come here and now!"

"Sonic Thunderslash!" the Thunderbolt and Pandoria shouted in sync. Suddenly Jason's body was surrounded by lightning before he and Pandoria ran at Aion at supersonic speed, leaving a trail of electricity behind. Using that speed, Jason made a series of deep cuts in his wake on the Artifice before he and Pandoria returned to the others.

Malos grunted as Aion began to lose power from all the attacks.

"Don't forget us!" Nia exclaimed as she and Jin charged to attack. "Hydro Blast!" The Flesh Eater fired a powerful torrent of water from her Catalyst Scimitar at the Artifice.

"This is for Torna!" Jin declared. "Zero Blade!" The Paragon of Torna unleashed a series of slashes on Aion before pelting it with a series of icicles.

"Frank, now!" Meg shouted.

The Master Driver nodded and locked eyes with Mythra. "Let's go!" Frank said.

"Yeah!" Mythra agreed.

"Infinity Blade!" The duo shouted in sync as they held the Aegis Sword together as a gold aura surrounded them. A dome of green light then filled the hanger. Mythra's Siren then activated before firing a particle beam into a wormhole that appeared before it. Frank and Mythra ran together before jumping into the air, with the latter's wings opening. The wormhole then opened up above them, bringing Siren's beam down on the Aegis Sword.

Suddenly parts of the Aegis Sword opened up, revealing symbols that resembled all three Aegis Swords. Pyra's was on the right side of the blade, Mythra's on the left, and finally Pneuma's was on top. Both Frank and Mythra shouted as the golden light of Siren's attack turned into an emerald-green and intensified.

"Let's end this," Frank said firmly. "So, we can move on!"

"For the future!" Mythra added.

The duo swung the Aegis Sword down upon Aion, prompting it to raise its right arm to block. However, the Aegis Sword cut right through it before making its way towards Aion's core. The attack greatly damaged the Artifice, and Malos, causing a large explosion as Frank and Mythra descended towards the ground.

**To be continued**


	47. Chapter 47: Pneuma's Sacrifice

**Chapter 47- Pneuma's Sacrifice**

Frank and Mythra's attack caused Aion to hunch over as it used its remaining arm to support itself, while Malos, who was fatally wounded, fell out of its core. The Onyx Aegis hit the metal floor face-down and groaned in pain.

Meanwhile, Klaus could feel death starting to claim him as his other half was killed. The Conduit, which was revealed to be in the room behind him, had a portal open up above it. Using the last of his strength, Klaus raised his hand up and did a circular motion with it. Suddenly holographic images of all the major Titans appeared above him as he sent them one final directive.

"This is the last gift I can offer you," Klaus said as his body began dissolving into golden light. "The rest is up to you… my children…" Klaus then gave in to death, his body disappearing without a trace.

Meanwhile, all the Gargoyles that were attacking the Titans suddenly shut down.

"What's going on?" Luke questioned.

"I think I know." All eyes went to Marth as his Siren hovered above him. The Dark Swordsman eyed the World Tree. "Frank and the others did it. They defeated Malos."

Mikhail looked somewhat saddened at the news. Asuna noticed this and asked, "Are you okay?"

The Blade Eater lowered his Infinity Fans and said, "I am… It's just… sad that it had to come to this."

"Malos was asking for it," Yuuki replied. "He wanted to destroy the world for crying out loud!"

"It's not as black and white as you think, Yuuki," Marth said suddenly, catching everyone's attention. "A Blade is affected deeply by their Driver through resonance. Malos's drive to destroy the world came from Amalthus's hatred of it and mankind. It corrupted him."

"How awful," Niall said. "I can't help but feel sorry for Malos, despite everything he's done."

"Me too, Emperor," Marth replied. "Me too."

**Aion Hanger**

Malos groaned as he turned himself around, so he could face Frank and Mythra. His core was cracked and flickering. His body began emitting purple light as he slowly approached death's door.

"It's been fun, Frank," Malos said as he eyed the Master Driver, who along with Mythra, looked at him in sorrow. Despite the situation, the Onyx Aegis smiled.

"Malos," Frank said slowly as the others approached.

"If only… I had met… you sooner," Malos said with difficulty. "Just think of the worlds I might've seen… But even so…"

"I'm sorry," Frank said. "If I had been your Driver, then all of this…"

Malos let out a weak laugh as his body began to dissolve into purple light. "Who knows?" He then eyed the Emerald Aegis. "Mythra, you and Marth are lucky. You both got to choose your own roles, but I was denied this. I had no choice but to be the Endbringer."

"Malos," Mythra said slowly.

"But all in all… my life wasn't so bad," Malos admitted. "Frank… your father was the first real friend I ever had. The only person… I ever trusted completely. Mythra, give our other partner a message for me."

"What is it?" the Emerald Aegis asked curiously.

"Tell him to choose his Driver carefully, one who can handle the full extent of his power. Someone, like Frank is to you."

Mythra nodded in acknowledgement. "I will."

Malos smiled. "Thank you… Maybe we'll meet again… in a better life…" The Onyx Aegis then fully disappeared into purple light, leaving no trace of him behind.

"Malos," the Emerald Aegis said in sorrow.

"I can't help but wonder what it would have been like to fight beside him as a friend," Jin said curiously. "If only his Driver wasn't Amalthus."

"Yeah," Nia said as she reverted to her human form.

"It looks like he finally found it," Meg said.

Brighid eyed her Driver curiously. "What do you mean?"

"A meaning to his life," the Flamebringer explained.

"Indeed."

"I'm a little jealous. After all, most people go their whole lives without finding theirs. I wonder if I'll ever find mine."

"You've got one already, don't you?" Jason asked, causing his girlfriend to face him. The Thunderbolt sheathed his sword. "If what you've got isn't enough for you, you can always leave things to the next generation."

Meg slowly nodded. "You've got a point."

The Conduit fully disappeared into an unknown dimension. After that, all of Elysium began fiercely shaking.

"What's going on?!" Mika shouted.

Mythra summoned a holographic display of Elysium and Alrest. "Oh no," she said in realization.

"What's wrong?" Nia asked nervously.

"At this rate, all of Elysium will collapse," Mythra explained. "Since the Conduit disappeared, the power that was holding Elysium together was cut off."

"What will happen when it falls apart?" Jin questioned.

"Everything above this point will either orbit the planet or be flung into space by centrifugal force. However, everything below this point, the World Tree itself, will fall apart on top of Alrest."

Meg gasped in shock. "No, that can't be. The impact would destroy…"

"There's got to be something we can do!" Frank said desperately. "Mythra, please!"

The Emerald Aegis's eyes filled with dread. "There's only one way to stop it," Mythra said slowly. "I have to use the last of Aion's power to annihilate the World Tree before it collapses."

"The last of Aion's power? Can you access it remotely like with Siren?"

Mythra shook her head. "I can't. Our last attack damaged most of Aion's systems. The only way I can use it is by controlling Aion directly."

"But that would mean you'd be caught in the destruction," Frank said. "There has to be another way!"

"I'm sorry, Frank, but there isn't one. Listen to me, five stories down from here, there are escape pods. You guys need to use one of them to leave Elysium before its destroyed."

Frank gritted his teeth in frustration. "This isn't fair. Why do you have to sacrifice yourself to save Alrest? It just isn't right!"

Mythra couldn't bring herself to look her Driver in the eye as she was overcome with sorrow.

"Pull yourself together, Frank," Ethan said. "Don't you remember what Marth said? Sometimes you have to make hard sacrifices for the greater good."

"Ethan's right," Azurda added as hovered by the Master Driver. "Sometimes a man must know when to let go. Do it for her, Frank. Do what she asks."

Frank didn't respond, his thoughts tormenting him as he stared at the floor.

"C'mon, Frank," Jason said. "Mythra's the girl you love. You've got to accept her decision."

The Master Driver groaned. "I know," Frank said slowly as he loosened up. "But that doesn't make it any easier!"

The Flamebringer approached her brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "Brother, I'm so thankful that we came to Alrest," she said. "We made so many incredible memories here. I'm glad that we met Brighid, Mythra, everyone and that we had this adventure." Meg removed her hand and gave Mythra a slight bow, as did Brighid.

"Frank, you've given up so much for all our sakes," Jin said finally. "Just this once, let Mythra do the same for you."

"Jin." Frank eyed the Paragon of Torna before slowly nodding. He then turned to Mythra and unexpectedly pulled her into a kiss. The Emerald Aegis was surprised by the action, but quickly reciprocated it.

"Well, it's about time," Sonum said.

"Indeed," Dromarch agreed.

The kiss lasted for fifteen seconds, but to the duo, it felt like hours before they separated.

"Mythra," Frank said. "I…"

The Aegis simply smiled. "I know, Frank." She put her right hand on her Core Crystal, causing it to light up. Frank's core started glowing as well. Suddenly Mythra's core disappeared and merged with Frank's before separating from him, causing the Master Driver armor to revert to Frank's old Driver armor. The Aegis Sword also disappeared.

The Aegis Core Crystal landed in Frank's right palm, its color turned black.

"You'll be fine without me now," Mythra said slowly. She then turned to Azurda and touched his core with her right index finger, transferring some power into the small Titan.

"You're a real piece of work, Mythra," Azurda said solemnly.

Mythra then turned her gaze to Jin and Nia. "Please take care of Frank for me," she said.

"I will," Nia replied.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my promise," Jin responded.

"Uh, guys," Kasandra said slowly. "As touching as this is, we need to leave now so Mythra can do her thing!"

"Kasandra's right," Poppi agreed. "The longer we delay, the more difficult it will be for Mythra to stop Alrest's destruction."

With a heavy heart, Frank turned his back towards Mythra, a single tear sliding down his cheek, which didn't escape the Aegis's notice. "Everyone, let's go," he said slowly, pain etched in his voice.

Mythra stood and watched as the party fled to the escape vessels. She then turned to Aion and said, "Hey there. I need your help." Mythra then merged with Aion's core and got the Artifice to pick itself up. Mythra subsequently activated Aion's self-destruct sequence. She also pulled up a security feed and saw that the party had made it to the escape vessels.

She smiled when she saw that Frank was wielding Jin's sword and used it to cut through falling debris that would've crushed Sonum.

"I'm so glad that I met you, Frank," Mythra confessed. "Our time together was short, a fraction of my long, long years." Nia tried to open one of the vessels' doors, put it wouldn't respond, prompting the Flesh Eater to go to another one. "But it was warmer and brighter than any time I can remember before."

Frank looked up and saw debris coming down on him. He braced for impact when suddenly Meg and Jason saved him by destroying the debris with blue flames and lightning respectively. Mika then tripped on nothing and fell to the ground, but Jin helped him up.

"You shone a light my melancholy path," Mythra continued. "You showed me the way." Ethan managed to get one of the vessels to open, causing the party to hurry inside. Frank and Ethan strapped themselves into the pilot chairs while everyone else got in chairs behind them. They were trying to get the pod to launch but weren't having much luck. Mythra then pressed a button on her console, activating the pod for launch.

Frank smiled, knowing that the girl he loved was responsible. One of the hatch doors opened, allowing the vessel to launch and descend towards Alrest.

"Thank you for that, Frank," the Emerald Aegis said solemnly. "Thank you for that gift of light." She closed her eyes with a content smile on her face.

She then heard an unexpected voice. "So tell me," Malos said. "How was it, being alive?"

"Do you really want to know?" Mythra replied. "Well…" She then said something to the Onyx Aegis's spirit as Frank turned and faced the World Tree.

Aion then self-destructed, causing the World Tree and the Orbital Station to be consumed by a strange golden aura.

"Mythra!" Frank shouted as the entire station began disintegrating.

Everyone held on tight as the escape pod rapidly descended towards Alrest. Suddenly the back of of the pod was hit by debris, causing it to fall apart. The party was then sucked out of the pod by the vacuum created, causing them to free fall towards the Cloud Sea.

"Frank!" Azurda shouted as his core lit up. Suddenly the Titan changed into his adult form and flew towards the Aegis Driver.

Frank and Jin grabbed onto the green hair on the back of the Titan's neck and held on. "Azurda?! You're…!" Frank exclaimed.

Jin then grabbed Nia and pulled her onto Azurda as the others soon got onto the Titan as well. Poppi was able to reach the Titan by flying while carrying Ethan in her arms.

Once everyone was on, Azurda said, "You know, I think this form suits me best."

"So that's what Mythra did to your core," Jin replied. "She allowed you to return to your adult form."

"Indeed," Azurda said. "You all might want to hang on. We're heading down!"

The dragonic Titan descended towards the Cloud Sea. Frank turned and saw that the World Tree was disintegrating into green particles. He then unconsciously clutched Mythra's core tightly in his hand.

"You okay?" Nia asked her Driver.

Frank's eyes darkened. "I… I don't know…"

Sonum looked down and gasped. "Guys, look down!" she exclaimed. "The Cloud Sea is vanishing!"

Everyone looked and saw that she was right. The Cloud Sea was disappearing, revealing the Land of Morytha below. The Titans were nowhere in sight.

"No," Jason said slowly. "Don't tell me we were too late."

"It can't be," Kasandra added. "Is everyone dead?"

Azurda simply flew over the ruined city.

"There's nothing left in the world but ruins," Pandoria said.

Suddenly Azurda noticed something in the distance. "We're crossing that barrier!" he said. The Titan then picked up speed as he pierced through the Cloud Barrier. The group then found that they were over an ocean, an ocean of water. They were filled with disbelief as they saw a massive landmass in the distance. The sky was filled with orange light from the rising sun.

Nia then noticed something in the distance. "Guys, over there!"

The party turned and saw the Urayan Titan descend and land on the surface of the water before swimming towards the landmass. They also saw Genbu and the Temperantian Titan as well. The massive Titans then crashed into the landmass, becoming one with it.

"The Titans…" Dromarch said.

"They're joining with the land," Brighid added.

The party then saw the Ardainian, Leftherian, and Gormotti Titans heading for the landmass as well.

"It's true," Meg said in realization. "I think… I see what Klaus meant by 'restoring the world'."

"Azurda," Frank spoke up. "Elysium… was here all along."

"You know, Frank," Azurda replied. "I think you're right." Red sparks fell from the sky, creating a beautiful sight.

Frank then looked down at the now inactive Aegis core in his hand. "We finally made it," he said quietly as Azurda let out a screech as he flew to Elysium.

"Hey!" a familiar voice cried out. Everyone turned and saw none other than Marth and Yuuki flying towards them before landing on the Titan. The other Alfheim Warriors were cheering as they flew towards Elysium.

"You guys did it!" Yuuki cheered. "You stopped Malos! And you've a brand-new world to call home."

"That we do," Jin said in agreement.

The Silver Aegis noticed the absence of a certain Blade. "Where's Mythra?" he asked curiously.

Grief filled the eyes of the party as Frank showed the Dark Swordsman the core in his hand.

"It can't be," Marth said in disbelief. "She's really gone?"

Frank slowly nodded. "She sacrificed herself to save Alrest. She saved us all."

Marth then flashbacked to when Klaus came to his world.

**Flashback- Alfheim Online**

Klaus had just revealed Marth's true origins to the Dark Swordsman and his friends. Needless to say, they were all shocked.

"I'm not really human?" Marth said in disbelief. "I'm an Aegis?"

"Yes," Klaus confirmed as he retrieved the silver Aegis core. "Since you only had a small part of your core, you didn't have the full range of your Aegis powers. By restoring your core, you can get them back."

"But at the cost of giving up my Dragon Soul ability." Marth paused. "If it means I can help Frank and the others when they need it, then I'll…"

Klaus raised his hand to stop the Dark Swordsman from speaking. "Hold on. Before you say your decision, there's something else I must tell you, in private."

"Well that's not suspicious whatsoever," Sinon said sarcastically.

"I have no intention of deceiving you," Klaus replied. "Marth can tell you if he chooses too. I just want him to fully understand the weight of this choice."

Marth led Klaus to a room where they could be alone. "So what do you want to tell me?" Marth asked.

"There's one other price for you awakening as an Aegis, a side effect," Klaus explained. "By becoming an Aegis, it will forever alter your future. You have grown stronger through the various hardships you've endured, but remerging with your core will cause you to face one hardship that will be greater than all the rest combined. If you're not careful, it could shatter your very spirit, leaving you powerless."

Marth folded his arms. "Any idea what that hardship could be?"

Klaus simply shook his head. "I don't, but even if I did, I couldn't tell you about it. There are just some things that are out of your control, things you can't prevent. So what will you do, Marth, or should I say, Fenrir?"

The silver Aegis core levitated towards the Dark Swordsman. "Sometimes you must make hard sacrifices for the greater good. I know what I have to do." Marth reached out and grabbed the core with his right hand. He screamed in pain as the core lit up while his Dragon Soul was ripped out of his body. The Aegis core appeared on his chest and his ears became rounded. His coat gained a silver coloring while Lunara and Solaris gained silver Aegis cores in their hilts. The Dragon Soul became a violet orb of power that hovered in front of the new Aegis before disappearing.

**Present**

"Marth! Marth!" Yuuki called out, bringing the Dark Swordsman out of his thoughts. "You've been really quiet. Are you okay?"

"Sorry," Marth said. "I was just… thinking…"

"Are you ever going to tell me what Klaus told you?"

Marth didn't look at the Imp. "Maybe sometime. It's not important right now."

Yuuki's eyes filled with sorrow as it seemed like her boyfriend was returning to his old habits as a solo player. "Marth," she said quietly. "When will you realize that you don't have to do things alone?"

Meg unexpectedly grabbed Jason by the arm and pulled him close as they sat down. Mika and Kasandra were also sitting down while holding hands. The others, except Frank, Marth, and Yuuki, sat down as well and admired the raining red embers.

Frank simply looked up as he thought about the memories that he had with Mythra and Pyra. He remembered finding them in the Verdant Forest on Earth, his first battle with Meg and Brighid, and the dance he shared with Mythra at Fonsett Academy. He remembered Brandon's sacrifice and Mythra using Siren's power to destroy Malos and Akhos's Blades to force them to retreat. Then there was Temporal Island where he watched Mythra and Marth defeat both Jarrod and Zeta. He thought back to when he, Pyra, and the others stopped a group of bandits from attacking Torigoth, and him and Pyra treating each others' injuries afterward. He thought about when he showed Mythra the graves he and Jin made for his parents in Fonsett Village, when she told him he reminded her of Addam in Indol, to when Zeke revealed his true identity on Temperantia.

Frank remembered the first defeat he had at the hands of Zeke, which led to Pyra getting herself captured to save him. He thought about when he and his friends went to the Cliffs of Morytha to save her and Mythra and how he unlocked their true power as the Aegis, Pneuma's power. He remembered the time he spent with Mythra in the Land of Morytha and his final battle against his father, as well as Zeke's sacrifice. He then remembered learning the truth about Klaus and his role in creating Alrest, the party's final confrontation with Malos, to Mythra staying behind to destroy the World Tree to save Alrest. Finally, he remembered when Pyra made a small fire in her right hand before blowing on it, causing the embers to scatter in the air.

Most of the party smiled in content as they drew closer to Elysium.

"I wonder what we'll find there," Mika said.

Jin shrugged. "Who knows. All I know is that this gives us a second chance at living. We better not waste it."

"I wonder if I can find anything to salvage here," Ethan said curiously. "I haven't done any salvaging in forever. It might be a good idea to get back into it now that there's peace in the world."

"Makes sense," Poppi replied. "You and I will be the best salvager team there is!"

Frank wasn't paying attention as he looked up at the sky. Unbeknownst to him, one of the falling green embers touched the Aegis core in his hand, causing it to regain its emerald color. Marth, who was talking to Yuuki and Brighid, suddenly went silent as he felt a familiar presence.

Frank also felt the presence and looked down at the Aegis core in awe, which was flashing rapidly.

'_Can it be?_' was all he thought before the Aegis core unleashed a pillar of green light, catching everyone by surprise as they were forced to shield their eyes. Marth was the only one didn't and simply smiled while folding his arms.

When the light died out, the Aegis core in Frank's hand was gone. He then saw none other than Mythra, in her ascended form, smiling. Needless to say, the party, along with Yuuki, were shocked.

"No way!" Mika exclaimed.

Their shock was soon replaced with joy at the sight of the female Aegis being alive.

"You're okay!" Yuuki shouted as she sprinted to Mythra and pulled her into a tight hug, which the Aegis returned.

"Yuuki," Mythra said as she struggled to breathe from the Absolute Sword's tight embrace. "Could you… let go? I can't breathe!"

Yuuki looked a little embarrassed as she let go of the Emerald Aegis. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I just got excited."

Marth noticed that Frank hadn't moved. The Silver Aegis chuckled to himself before giving his counterpart a light push. "Well, don't keep her waiting," Marth chided as Frank faced him. "Go on."

"Yeah," Frank agreed before turning to face his friends, who were all silently telling him to go too. Frank turned towards Yuuki and Mythra as they faced him. He then turned his gaze to Mythra.

"I love you, Frank," Mythra said plainly.

Frank smiled with joy before saying, "I love you too, Mythra." He then approached the emerald-haired Aegis and kissed her on the lips, which she quickly returned.

"Well, it's about time," Marth said as Yuuki moved beside him to give the new couple some space.

"Tell me about it," Yuuki replied. "I'm happy for Mythra. She deserves someone special."

"Definitely," Marth agreed.

Frank and Mythra then parted. "Mythra, how did you…?" the Aegis Driver asked.

"I'm a Blade remember? As long as my crystal's intact, I'll always come back. You can't get rid of me that easy."

Frank couldn't help but smile. "Cool. I'm just glad that you're back."

The Emerald Aegis smiled back. "Me too, Frank. Me too." She then turned to the Dark Swordsman. "Hey Marth. Malos wanted me to give you a message."

"What is it?" Marth asked, sounding curious.

"He wanted me to tell you to choose your Driver carefully. Someone you can trust to handle your full power. Someone like Frank is to me."

"Interesting," the Silver Aegis said before staring at his right palm. "Someone I trust with my full power. I feel like I've been giving it my all, but after seeing what you were capable of doing, I can't help but wonder if I've got even more power deep inside."

"Who knows," Mythra said. "I wouldn't be surprised if your true power was equal to mine. Just promise me that you'll follow Malos's advice."

"I will."

The group then spent the remainder of the flight chatting.

**To be continued**


	48. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Two days later**

It took Frank and the others a while to find Fonsett Village in Elysium. Everyone was surprised to find out that Mythra was stuck in her ascended form permanently, but she didn't seem to mind. The party and the Alfheim Warriors decided to throw a party to celebrate their victory over Malos and to the bright future ahead. Marth and his fellow fairies volunteered to bring Niall, Luke, Minoth, Iona, and Mikhail to the village so they could join.

Jin was shocked when he saw the former Torna member alive and well. "Mikhail? How are you here?"

The Blade Eater shrugged. "Beats me," he admitted. "Even I thought I bit the dust back there. Guess the future's got other plans for me."

The Paragon of Torna chuckled. "So what will you do now?"

"I don't know. I think I'll join up with Jason and Pandoria as they work to restore Tantal. It was created by the Tornans after all. Besides, it'll help me to make amends for everything I did against the world."

"I see," Jin said. "Very well. Take care of yourself then."

"Don't worry," Mikhail said with a smirk. "I will."

The duo then heard Asuna call out, "Jin! Come help me with dinner!"

"All right!" Jin answered back. "I'm coming." He then went to help the Undine.

Meanwhile Marth and Mythra were talking with Minoth, who was looking a little worse for wear.

"Thorrnn and Leafa told me what you did," Marth said. "How could you fight in your condition. You could've died."

Minoth let out a sickly cough. "I couldn't… just stand by and watch," the old Flesh Eater said. "I had to do something to help."

"Minoth," the Emerald Aegis said slowly. She then locked eyes with Marth and nodded in sync. "You might want to hold still."

Minoth raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why? What are you going to do?"

"Just be quiet and do what I say!"

The two Aegises held their right hands at the Flesh Eater's Core Crystal before they sent green and silver lights into it. Suddenly Minoth's appearance changed as he became a young adult, his gray hair becoming brown and tied back in a ponytail.

When they were done, Minoth looked at himself in disbelief. "What did you guys do to me?" he questioned.

"We just restored your immortality," Marth explained. "One of the perks of us being Aegises."

Minoth looked at the duo in awe. "Thank you," was all he could say.

"Don't mention it," Mythra replied.

"By the way," Minoth added. "I'm planning on rewriting my play on the Aegis War. With Amalthus gone, I can now show people what really happened five hundred years ago without fear. And as thanks for you two, I'll write a play about your adventures."

"Cool," Marth said. He then noticed Frank on Corinne's balcony, staring at them. He gave Mythra a slight nudge. "Your boyfriend's looking at us. He might be getting jealous."

Mythra simply chuckled. "Yeah right. You really don't know Frank at all. Getting jealous isn't his style."

Marth laughed in response. "Well you would know better than anyone."

"That I do."

The two Aegises then went over to Frank, while Minoth went to check on Iona, who was playing with Silica and Pina.

"We certainly have a lot of people here," Frank said.

"Yeah," Marth agreed. His eyes then filled with torment.

"What's wrong?" Frank asked.

"I… have something I need to tell you both," the Silver Aegis said slowly. "Remember when I showed up in the Genbu Crown and just watched as Zeke defeated you."

Frank nodded. "Yeah. You said you didn't interfere because it was a losing battle. What about it?"

Marth lowered his eyes. "About that… That was a lie. Even if it was a losing battle, I still would've joined in regardless."

Both Frank and Mythra gasped in shock. "What?" Mythra exclaimed. "Then why didn't you…?"

"Because something told me not to. It overrode my own instincts. I couldn't even speak, much less move. I could only watch as Zeke took you away. I'm really sorry."

Frank's eyes filled with pity. "Marth," he said slowly.

"I've always felt guilty about that," Marth continued. "That's part of why I wanted to help you this time, to try and make up for it."

The Aegis Driver gave his counterpart a light smile. "Don't worry about it," Frank said. "Maybe it was for the best that you hadn't interfered then. If you did, I don't think I would've gone to unseal the third Aegis Sword. All in all, everything worked out in the end."

Mythra chuckled in amusement. "Always the optimist."

"Marth, Frank, Mythra," Kirito said as he approached the trio. "Asuna and Jin have finished making dinner. Let's go eat."

"Alright. Let's go." Mythra grabbed Frank's hand and led him into Corinne's house, with Marth and Kirito close behind.

Everyone sat around a large table as Asuna, Yuuki, and Jin set various trays of food on the table.

"This looks incredible!" Silica said in excitement.

"Smells good too," Luke added.

"Well," Asuna said. "Let's eat everyone."

No one needed to be told twice and started to chow down. Yuuki noticed Marth powering through an eight-ounce steak like it was nothing.

"Slow down, Marth," she reprimanded. "You're going to choke."

"No, I won't," Marth argued before helping himself to some chicken.

"Where do you even put all that?" Sinon questioned as she watched the Dark Swordsman eat.

"I'm an Aegis!" Marth defended. "I need a lot of fuel, okay!"

The Alrestians chuckled in amusement.

"That certainly sounds familiar," Sonum said as she eyed a certain green-haired Aegis.

Mythra rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Eating habits aside," Niall spoke up. "What is everyone's plans in this world of ours? Mine is to relocate Mor Ardain into a more fertile location."

"You'll have my aid as well, Your Majesty," Meg added. "We will lead Mor Ardain into a new beginning."

"I will help as well," Luke replied.

"So will Brighid and I," Aegaeon said.

"I guess I could return to Tantal and help my father rebuild," Jason said. "Mikhail's already volunteered to accompany me."

"Don't forget us," Kasandra said. "Mika and I are coming too. We can't break up the Chaos Quartet!"

Mikhail groaned. "Great. We are so gonna die before we even reach Tantal."

"Hey!" Mika and Kasandra protested.

Pandoria shrugged. "Sorry, guys. I have to agree with Mik on this. You two are a magnet for misfortune."

Mythra simply giggled. "What about you, Ethan? What will you and Poppi do?"

"Well my father and Lila are planning to set up a repair shop in Mor Ardain," Ethan answered. "He offered me and Poppi jobs there, and I decided to accept. I plan on doing a lot of salvaging in this land to sell in the shop."

"Just don't think of using me as a ship," Azurda said. It turns out Mythra gave him the ability to shift between his larvae form and adult form at will. He was currently in his smaller form and sitting on the table. "Anything that you would attach to my body will be lost whenever I change."

"Dromarch and I have decided to stay here," Sonum added.

Kirito eyed the Aegis Driver curiously. "What about you, Frank? What are your plans?"

Frank didn't answer right away as he looked at Jin, Roc, Nia, and finally Mythra. "There's some rebuilding that needs to be done here in Fonsett," Frank said. "Once it's done, I want to explore Elysium. There must be a lot of cool secrets here."

Mythra placed her hand on top of her boyfriend's. "If that's what you want, then you can count me in," she said with a smile. "I go where you go. Always."

"You can count all of us in as well," Roc added. "Right guys?"

"Absolutely," Nia said.

"Of course," Jin agreed.

"Let me know if you guys need help," Minoth added. "It's the least I can do since Mythra and Marth healed me. How did you two pull it off anyway?"

"Your human and Blade cells were out of balance," Marth explained. "That's what caused you to age. I focused on healing your human side while Mythra healed your Blade cells. We couldn't have done it on our own."

"I see," the Flesh Eater replied.

"Anyway," Marth continued. "We'll probably hang around for a few more days before we head back to our world. Even without the Conduit, I'm still capable of traveling between worlds."

"Hey Marth," Frank spoke up. "Let's make a promise. If one of us, or any Remnant, is in trouble, more trouble than they can handle, the others will come to help. That sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan," Marth said with a smile.

The rest of dinner went by quickly. After dinner, the group decided to play music and dance. Thorrnn somehow managed to convince Leafa into doing karaoke together and began singing some of their favorite songs. While everyone danced to the music, the focus changed to the windowsill, which had three pictures on it. The first was of Addam's group and the other two was the pictures Frank and the others took in Indol.

"By the way, Mythra," Frank said as he and Mythra danced. "I've been thinking, what do you think of going by 'Pneuma'?"

The Emerald Aegis raised an eyebrow. "Any reason why?" Mythra asked.

"It's just… Pneuma is your original name. We finally reached Elysium and gave our world a new chance, but we shouldn't forget the past, especially Klaus and the space station."

Mythra twirled around and smiled. "I see," she said. "Pneuma would be a more fitting name for this form, especially since I can't change out of it. All right then. From now on, call me 'Pneuma'."

Frank smiled back. "Okay, Pneuma," he replied.

Meanwhile, a young woman with long green hair and golden eyes looked inside the house, focusing intently on Frank and Pneuma. She wore a long-sleeved silver overcoat with green highlights, black pants and boots. She also had a familiar gray sword in a green scabbard that was strapped to her waist. Her mind swirled with emotions, prompting her to shake her head to clear it.

"I can't let myself be distracted," she said to herself. "I have to stop Zeta's return… for _their_ sake." The woman put on a gray mask that had green slits to cover her eyes and exposed her mouth before walking into the shadows.

Everyone stuck around for another two days before deciding to go their separate ways. Niall, Luke, Ethan, Poppi, Meg, Brighid, and Aegaeon set off for Mor Ardain. Jason, Pandoria, Mikhail, Mika, Kasandra, and Wulfric left for Tantal, while Minoth and Iona returned to Uraya. Marth then summoned a wormhole connected to his world by snapping his fingers.

"You have got to teach me how to do that," Pneuma said eagerly.

"Maybe some other time," Marth replied. "I've got a feeling we'll be seeing each other soon."

"How are you able to do that anyway?"

Marth shrugged. "I think this is part of my Aegis powers, the ability to manipulate space. Your's was seeing the future and rewriting the natural laws, while Malos's was destroying matter. Who knows how far I can go with it?"

Pneuma folded her arms. "Interesting," she mused. "That Fenrir Effect you did, are its effects permanent?"

Marth shook his head. "No, after a while, it's effects will wear off, not to mention that I can cancel it at will. Either way, I know it'll come in handy in the future. Anyway, I think it's time to go."

"Goodbye, everyone!" Yuuki said before the Alfheim Warriors began entering the wormhole.

Marth was the last to leave as he shook hands with his counterpart. "Take care of yourself, Frank," the Dark Swordsman said.

"You too, Marth," the Aegis Driver replied.

"Goodbye, Marth," Pneuma added.

The Dark Swordsman then entered the portal before it closed behind him.

"Now what do we do?" Nia asked curiously. "Everyone's gone their separate ways. What will happen if something bad happens again?"

"Then they'll come back," Jin said. "This is our world, our home, and we will defend it no matter what."

Frank nodded in agreement. "Yeah. No doubt about it. Our old journey has ended, but our new one has already begun."

**The End**

**Character Endings:**

_Emperor Niall_

_Niall led the reconstruction efforts for Mor Ardain, successfully relocating the capital onto much more fertile ground. He focused much of his efforts into promoting peace with the other nations. After a few years, he eventually married an Urayan noblewoman and lived happily in Alba Cavanich._

_General Luke_

_Luke personally led the Ardainian army to secure new territories for the empire. He became well known for his compassion for his troops and his ferocity on the battlefield. It is said that Mor Ardain's military suffered the least number of casualties under his command._

_Minoth_

_With his immortality restored, Minoth lived peacefully in Fonsa Myrma with Iona. True to his word, he rewrote his play on the Aegis War to show what truly happened during that dark time. He also wrote a play about Frank's adventure across Alrest, even managing to get the Aegis Driver and Pneuma to play as themselves for one performance! Minoth would then answer Frank's call to arms when a new threat emerged._

_Mikhail_

_Mikhail became Jason's second Blade. He helped the Tantalese restore their ancient Tornan technology and boost their economy with it. Though many were skeptical to trust him, Mikhail proved himself countless times by helping anyone in need, as well as defending the capital whenever it was attacked by monsters._

_Azurda_

_Azurda chose to remain with Frank. The Titan proved to be an excellent source of transportation, allowing Frank and his friends to travel great distances with ease. Azurda even partipated in battles every now and then._

_The Alfheim Warriors_

_While most of the fairies returned to Elysium whenever they were needed, the rest were never seen again. While some people assume that the ones who didn't return might have chosen to live in peace in their world, others speculate that a far more sinister plot had occurred._

_Kirito, The Black Swordsman, and Asuna, The Lightning Flash_

_The couple were among the Alfheim Warriors who returned to Elysium. It is said that many enemies dreaded the idea of facing this duo, as they laid waste to any who threatened their friends._

_Marth, The Silver Aegis_

_The Dark Swordsman would not be seen again for over a year. When he did return to Alrest, he was accompanied by an unknown black-haired girl. While her name has yet to be confirmed, it is clear that she is very close to Marth. _

_The Alrest Champions_

_Sonum, Dedicated Healer, and Dromarch, The White Tiger_

_Sonum and Dromarch remained with Frank and his Blades in Fonsett Village. When they chose to go exploring, the duo was more than happy to go along. It is said that Sonum managed to get a new Blade during their adventure, though it is still unclear who that Blade was._

_Ethan, The Mechanic, and Poppi, The Artificial Blade_

_Ethan and Poppi were never seen apart. They visited his father, James, and Lila frequently in Mor Ardain, sharing stories of their adventures. It wasn't long before they developed feelings for each other and became a couple. There are even some rumors that Ethan plans to construct their "daughter" using Poppi's blueprints as a baseline._

_Brighid and Aegaeon, Twin Jewels of the Empire_

_Brighid and Aegaeon served their Driver, Meg, faithfully. They helped deal with any problems that surfaced in the empire's lands. Brighid was even Meg's maid-of-honor for her wedding with Jason. It is unknown if either Brighid or Aegaeon found a significant other._

_Mika, The Chaosbringer, and Kasandra, Magnet of Misfortune_

_Mika's luck improved somewhat, but it was still pretty terrible. Regardless, he and his girlfriend, Kasandra, never let it sour their mood as they worked to help those in need. Tales of their great deeds were passed down for generations. Wulfric also helped when needed, although his monstrous appearance did have a tendency to freak out any unsuspecting civilians._

_Pandoria, The Lightning Blade_

_Pandoria remained with her Driver. She got several marriage proposals from humans and Blades alike, but she never accepted them. Pandoria instead traveled with Jason across Elysium._

_Jason, The Thunderbolt, and Meg, The Flamebringer_

_The two were wed sometime afterward. Their marriage created a strong union between both Tantal and Mor Ardain. Jason and Meg would later join Frank on his new adventure across Elysium. It is said that they eventually had a son and daughter who would follow in their parents' footsteps._

_Nia, The Gormotti Flesh Eater_

_Nia chose to remain with Frank, whom she considered a brother. Her healing abilities proved to be vital in the days to come. Her fate afterward remains unknown, but it is believed that she stayed with her new family._

_Roc, Feathered Tornado_

_Roc continued to honor Brandon's memory by looking after Frank and his friends. It is rumored that he eventually formed his own mercenary guild to help people in need, but it was never confirmed._

_Jin, Paragon of Torna_

_Jin remained by Frank's side for the rest of his days. He was later known as one of Frank's most trusted Blades, second only to Pneuma. Jin eventually found his old diary, which was miraculously intact, and kept it close, along with his new one._

_Frank, The Master Driver, and Pneuma, The Emerald Aegis_

_The two were always together. While they didn't share a core anymore, neither of them minded, feeling that they were connected enough. After a year, Frank then proposed to Pneuma, which she quickly accepted. After certain events, the two began to explore Elysium to uncover its secrets._


End file.
